THE Philippines men’s U22 football team conceded two late goals and crash out of the semifinal round against a determined Vietnamese squad, 2-0, in the Southeast Asian Games.
The two teams seemed headed to extra time but Le Van Thuan cut the deadlock with a header in the 88th.
“I think everybody saw a highly competitive between two teams. You know, we deservedly could be playing in a gold medal match in three days time but ultimately Vietnam showed a little bit more quality towards the end of that game and we are able to take a moment to score from a cross into the box,” Philippines head coach Garrath MacPherson said.
The Philippines chased for an equalizer but another late goal b Nguyen Thanh Nhan doused their hopes for a finals slot as the PMNFT team lost in its first semifinal outing of the meet in 34 years.
“It was heartbreaking for the players who came here with the belief that we could advance to the gold medal match but I think we also understand the quality of the Vietnamese team, having won the Mandiri Cup six months ago,” said McPherson.
McPherson, one of the most successful coach of the country in recent times, said the team is disappointed but is ready to bounce back.
“It hurts for right now…we will be sad together and we wake up tomorrow and we keep one foot in front of the other and we keep moving forward and keep growing as a team,” said McPherson.
The Philippines will face Malaysia and will be aiming for its medal in the meet.