A GALLANT Philippine squad buckled under an intense Vietnamese pressure and lost, 2-1, in the semifinal round of the Asean U23 Mandiri Cup on July 25, 2025 at the Bung Karno Stadium.
Facing the two-time defending champion in just its first semifinal appearance of the tournament, the Philippines had goal keeper Nico Guimaraes and the woodwork to thank for early as Vietnam searched for an early goal.
Guimaraes cleared off a low cross, while Vietnam hit the goalpost twice. Then in the 36th minute, Noah Leddel found Javier Mariona off a long throw by Jian Caraig to put the Philippines up front.
However, the lead only lasted for five minutes as Nguyen Phi Hoang scored off a rebound from his own header for a 1-1 lead.
I am proud of the game our players played. I will remind them it is normal to be hurting.
PHL U23 coach Garath McPherson
“At this point in time, we are hurting. I know that this group of players will be disappointed, they have a belief they can win every game. We took a lead, we lost a lead but again, we are in this game right up until the last moments,” said head coach Garath McPherson.
Nine minutes after the break, Vietnam got the go-ahead goal with a looping header from Xuan Bac getting past Guimaraes.
Despite the loss, MchPherson is proud of his team, which he said only had a week to prepare for the event.
“We came here to be positive, we anted to take the game to our opponent. We had an intent to steal the ball high, we had an intent to control the game when we had it,” he said. “Vietnam is a good team with a lot of quality. I am proud of the game our players played. I will remind them it is normal to be hurting, but we leave with our heads held high.”
The Philippines will now take on Thailand in the battle for third place on July 28 after the Thais lost, 7-6, via penalty shootout to the host.
Win or lose on Monday, the Philippines is on its best showing in the tournament, falling in the group stage in 2023 with a point in two matches in Group C, finishing third in Group A in 2022 with four points in three matches, and losing all three matches in Group A in 2019.