PH bows to Thailand in suspense-filled ASEAN Championship semifinal

Metro Manila, Philippines - The Philippines missed out on a finals ticket at the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 after losing to defending champion Thailand, 3-1, in the second leg of the semifinals that went to extended time on Monday, Dec. 30.

After 90 minutes of regular play, plus stoppage time, the War Elephants had the lead, 2-1, on home soil at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

But the two teams faced a deadlock as the aggregate score in the two-legged semifinal series was 3-3, after the Philippine side won the first face-off with two goals.

Goal opportunities eluded both teams in the first 15 minutes of extra time, but Thai forward Suphanat Mueanta scored a goal at the 116th minute.

Pressed for time, the Philippines did everything it could to book its first-ever trip to finals, but failed with a full time score of 3-1 and a 4-3 aggregate score.

“We fought back as a team getting the 2-1 to put us back into getting extra time,” Filipino-Dutch goalkeeper Quincy Kammeraad said in a post-match interview, adding the match’s end was unfortunate for the Philippine team.

"But it could have, for me, [gone] both ways, the game. We had a chance early on in the stoppage time of the 90 minutes. They had chances. We had chances. I think it’s a fair game and anyone could have won at this point,” Kammeraad said.

During the second leg, Filipino-Norwegian forward Bjorn Kristensen kept the hopes of the Philippine team with his right-footed low shot kick to the bottom right corner goal at the 84th minute, bringing the score 2-1 in favor of Thailand.

Thai footballers Peeradol Chamratsamee and Patrik Gustavsson registered the goals for the powerhouse during normal time in front of a crowd of more than 31,000.

Chamratsamee’s goal was a controversial one after a replay in the match showed the ball was out of bounds before his teammates kicked the ball to his direction.

The Philippine team, under the leadership of head coach Albert Capellas, went to its first semifinals since 2018.

The squad made history on Dec. 27 after beating Thailand for the first time in 52 years.

Another win could have been the country’s first finals appearance in the tournament.

“We wouldn't be the Philippines if we didn’t have hills to climb,” Kammeraad said. “This is another hill we have to climb, something we will do as a team.”

“I think the fans at home can be proud of us and look forward in the coming years to what this team will do,” he added.

Thailand returned to its third straight final to face Vietnam in a two-legged finals match-up. First match will be in Việt Trì on Thursday, Jan. 2.

Vietnam won over Singapore on Sunday, Dec. 29, after finishing with two wins in the semifinals and a 5-1 aggregate score.