Two years ago, the Philippine national men’s football team pulled off a miracle in the ASEAN Championship by defeating Thailand for the first time in 52 years.

Now, the Nationals will have to score another upset as they host the War Elephants on Tuesday in the ASEAN Championship at the New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.

Hostilities start at 9 p.m. as the Philippines seeks its second straight win and hopes to stay in the hunt for a semifinal berth in this prestigious biennial football tournament.

The Philippines is oozing with confidence after a 4-1 thrashing of Laos last Saturday at the New Laos National Stadium in Vientiane.

Head coach Carles Cuadrat said it was a much-needed victory for the Nationals as they now shift their full focus to their crucial battle against the Thais.

The Philippines currently has one win and one loss in Group B with a goal difference of zero.

“I am happy that we changed our fortunes. Until this match, we had been very unfortunate during several important moments,” Cuadrat said.

“The victory is a good reward for the squad, and we must now focus on our next match, which is only three days away.”

Stealing a victory over the War Elephants will be easier said than done, as they are coming off a convincing 2-0 victory over Malaysia at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.

Head coach Anthony Hudson said he has high expectations for the Thais after they defeated Harimau Malaya to remain unbeaten in Group B.

“Towards the end, we were holding on a little because four or five players were suffering from cramp and other physical issues. However, I am very proud of the players for keeping a clean sheet, playing some very good football and securing another positive result in the tournament,” Hudson said.

A loss in this match would mean the Philippines would miss out on a semifinal berth as it could finish with a maximum of only six points.

Should the Philippines win, it will have to pull off another victory at the expense of Malaysia on Saturday at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium.

Veteran forward Jarvey Gayoso will be called upon to lead the country after scoring two goals in two games, while Javier Lucero and Daisuke Sato, who also contributed to the victory over Laos, are expected to play key roles.