The Philippine men's national football team still has one more opportunity to make it to the semifinals of the 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup.
"Today was a different game. Today was a 50-50 game. It was more of a battle.”
That was how Philippine men’s national football team coach Albert Capellas described the squad’s hard-fought 1-1 draw against Vietnam in the 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup (AMEC) on Wednesday, December 18.
The match saw the Filipinos earn their first point against the ASEAN powerhouse since 2012.
The Filipinos seemed to be heading towards a historic night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium after Jarvey Gayoso’s stunning goal in the 68th minute to put the Philippines ahead.
However, Vietnam managed to equalize late in extra time after Doan Ngoc Tan slotted the ball into an open net.
While Capellas rued at the missed opportunity to get the full three points in the tournament, the Spanish tactician hinted at fatigue from his players, who were playing their third game in seven days, including travel to and from Vientiane, Laos.
"We have to keep longer ball possession because when we put five passes between lines, we shouldn't have lost. If we could do that on the last five-seven minutes, we shouldn't have lost. But we are tired, the team was so tired, but they gave whatever they can," Capellas explained.
Goalkeeper Patrick Deyto also received some flak from die-hard fans for failing to catch the corner kick which led to Vietnam’s equalizer.
But Capellas himself backed Deyto, who showed brilliance all match long to help the Philippines pull off the near-upset.
"I never will blame a player for a mistake. Never. All of them have my hundred percent support. A player who does not play is a player who does not commit a mistake. Football is a game of mistakes,” said Capellas.
For his part, Philippine Football Federation (PFF) President John Anthony Gutierrez expressed his full support for the team.
"As I've said on Tuesday, this will be a 50-50 game. This has not been the case against Vietnam since our peak years in terms of world ranking. Now that we are coming in at world number 149, it is astounding for us not only to draw against Vietnam but to battle them possession by possession," said Gutierrez.
"We have to give credit to the coaching staff for that excellent second-half adjustment that resulted in our goal. I also want to express my support for our homegrown keeper Patrick Deyto for those crucial saves that could have resulted in our elimination had he not played excellently," he added.
The Philippines will need to win its upcoming match against Indonesia on Sunday to possibly advance to the semifinals of the tournament.