By Vince Matthew Jaramilla

With the final whistle looming in the second half’s fifth added minute, Philippine Men’s National Football Team (PMNFT) defender Kike Linares scored a clutch goal to conquer the reigning champions Thailand War Elephants for the first time since 1972, 2-1, in the ASEAN Mistubishi Electric Cup (AMEC) 2024 semifinal opener yesterday, December 27, in the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila City.

In the post-game conference, Man of the Match Sandro Reyes mentioned how they faced difficulties before achieving the clutch goal and expressed appreciation for their supporters who made up the majority of the 7,160-strong audience.

“[At] the end of the first half until the end of the game, Thailand had many chances. They were putting pressure on us. We couldn’t keep the ball, [it was] very difficult, [and] we were very tired. We got out of hell and scored the last-minute goal… The fans were amazing. They were with us until the end,” he said.

Both teams had trouble getting accurate shots off in the initial minutes. The first shot on target would not be delivered until Group A top seed Thailand’s 19-minute kick, which was saved by PMNFT keeper Quincy Kammeraad.

Fortunately, midfielder Reyes found the left portion of the visitors’ goal just two minutes after, executing a tight left-footed strike in front of the box to take the early advantage, 1-0.

The blue shirts took a less aggressive approach for the rest of the first half to preserve their lead. In the 45th minute, however, the War Elephants outran the Philippines in transition from the latter’s fourth corner kick, leading to a goal by defender Suphanan Bureerat and forcing a 1-1 tie before halftime.

Just in the second minute of the second half, the Thai booters’ extended fast-paced play resulted in two quick shots. Fortunately, the first only hit the goal’s top bar and the second missed entirely.

With the intensity on another level, the PMNFT struggled to break through the defenses once again as they only recorded three second-half-regulation shots compared to the War Elephants’ 12.

Despite the offensive skid, the home squad was granted a free kick at the 50-minute mark. As midfielder Zico Bailey launched the strike, the Filipinos connected on a three-touch play, with defender Paul Tabinas getting the assist for Linares’ game-winning header, 2-1.

The match ended just two minutes after the clutch moment.

The historic victory not only marked the country’s first win against Thailand in 52 years, but also granted the former their first home win and the latter their first loss in AMEC 2024.

With their successful upset against the defending champions, PMNFT head coach Albert Capellas spoke with pride for his players being ‘fighters.’

“I’m very happy for the players because they never give up… We played very [well] against a very good team… In the second half, we suffered more… but we handled [them] together. We never lost hope because this team, they are fighters. They fight so much for this country. I’m so proud [of] them,” he shared.

Meanwhile, Reyes emphasized the growth of the national team program and their aim to come back home in a finals setting.

“Thailand was always the team to beat. They were the strongest team in Southeast Asia for so long, so to beat them just shows how far we’ve come—where we are right now. The job isn’t halfway done. We have a really difficult second leg coming up and we wanna play a final here so we’ll give everything to play that here,” the Filipino midfielder stated.

To advance to the finals, the Philippines only need a draw in the second leg of the semis set on Monday, December 30, at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

(Photo courtesy of Pam Puri/Tiebreaker Times)