A wake-up call at halftime was all the Philippines needed to book a 3-1 victory over Timor Leste in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers on Tuesday at the New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.

National team coach Carles Cuadrat said the Filipinos were sloppy in the first half so they had to remind them to work harder and launch a comeback that will turn things around.

“It was really a bad first half for us. I am very happy because there was a reaction from the team and they came out with a different mentality in the second half,” said Cuadrat, who served as an assistant coach of former national team mentor Albert Capellas before getting promoted to full-time status.

The Spanish mentor also lauded the Nationals for giving their all, especially since the match is their last home game for the year.

“We took advantage of what we’ve been doing in training, and after the equalizer, we started to take control of the game,” Cuadrat said. “It was a crucial game, and being at home, we had to get the result. I think we deserved the three points in the end.”

They trailed at the half after Joao Rangel fired a screamer in the 45th minute for a 1-0 lead for the Timorese.

But the Filipinos refused to lose. Jefferson Tabinas engineered a fiery comeback with a tap-in goal in the 47th minute to knot the match before Bjorn Kristensen made it 2-1 in the 70th minute with a tap-in of his own.

Jarvey Gayoso the converted on a left-foot strike in the 90th minute, turning what could be a frustrating performance into a masterful victory.

The victory was the Filipinos’ third in four matches, putting them on top of Group A that boosted their chances of making it to the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

But with Tajikistan also sharing a 3-1-0 record, the Philippines need to win its remaining two games to earn a spot in the Asian Cup.

The Nationals will face Maldives on 18 November at Maldives National Football Stadium before taking on the Tajiks on 31 March 2026.

Only the top teams of each group will advance to the Asian Cup.