Will “Miracle of Hanoi " 2.0 in the books for Team Philippines?
Expect a very intense and exciting game this Thursday night.
That's what defender Christian Rontini vows as the Philippine men’s national football team locks horns with powerhouse Vietnam later at 8:00 p.m. with the hopes of keeping their slim 2026 FIFA World Cup dreams alive.
The 24-year-old booter emphasized the Philippines’ advantage against their regional rivals, but recognized it will be a toss-up in the second-leg of their group stage campaign against the Vietnamese.
“We know they have very good qualities in terms of speed and technique. But we also have our speed and our heart to play for our nation. [Tonight] will be a 50-50 game. I know people think that Vietnam is strong and everything, but we will put in our work," he said.
PMNFT head coach Tom Saintfiet has constructed a team led by national mainstays like team captain Neil Etheridge, Patrick Reichelt, OJ Porteria, and Christian Rontini, along with 10 new faces who trained in Dubai for this assignment.
“We are well prepared. We made changes, with some new players,” said Saintfiet. “Sure, Vietnam is the favorite, but we come here trying to get the three points. That’s the intention, even if we know it’ll be difficult.”
The Philippines are in dead last in Group F, with only one point on a draw and three losses. They are trailing undefeated leader Iraq (12 points on 4-0-0 win-draw-loss), second-running Indonesia (seven points on 2-1-1), and Vietnam (three points on 1-0-3) with only two match days left in Round 2.
The Filipinos are coming off back-to-back losses to Iran in their last two Asian Qualifier games, including 5-0 defeat in Manila.
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Despite the mixture of young and veteran players in their roster, Rontini vows that the Pinoy booters will be all-out from the get-go and only expect one outcome by the end of the game.
“We will give everything from the first minute until the final whistle. We don’t play for a draw or for a loss, we play only to win. That’s it."
Vietnam enjoys a big edge against the Philippines head to head, winning 18 of 21 encounters, including a 2-0 verdict in the previous window of the Qualifiers in Manila in November.
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The match will air at 6:30 p.m. LIVE on One Sports, One Sports+, and the Pilipinas Live app.