All bets are off as PH faces Thailand in ASEAN Championship semis

The Philippines has done it! 

The Philippine Men’s National Football team has qualified for the semifinals of the 2024 ASEAN Championship Mitsubishi Electric Cup by beating a young Indonesia side, 1-0, in a tense match away from home. 

The team bucked a slow start to the tournament, but has appeared to reach peak form as the competition reaches its climax. 

The Philippines kicked off the biennial tournament with a 1-1 draw at home against Myanmar and quickly drew against Laos in Vientiane with the same score line on the second match day. 

Local fans were heartbroken with the paltry haul of two points against supposedly winnable opponents, and naysayers were in full force especially with the mighty Vietnam up next in Manila. However, there was belief in the team that the job could be done, that things would turn good as the tournament progresses.

That self-belief would come to fore in the home match against Vietnam where a rowdy crowd was witness to a superb Philippines display against the much fancied opponents. 

A late equalizer right at the end of stoppage time denied the Philippines with a crucial victory, but the confidence and belief of the team could not be denied. 

Despite playing with very little recovery time, and a grueling trip to Indonesia next, head coach Albert Capellas remained bullish. 

When asked in his native Spanish if a victory against Indonesia was possible despite the challenges faced by the team, the answer was an emphatic Yes. 

"Es posible para ganar? Si!"

His words would prove prophetic and his winning mentality infectious, as the team earned a famous hard fought 1-0 victory, eliminating Indonesia and sending the Philippines to delirium and into the semifinals. 

Up next is the home game against mighty Thailand on December 27, and fans will be expected to pack the Rizal Memorial Stadium once again. 

This is one game that doesn’t come often — a semifinals home game in the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup. 

After all, it has been six years since the country has been in this stage of the tournament. 

Listening to pre-tournament predictions and forecasts, there was hardly any mention of the Philippines even making it out of the group stages. 

However, this young group of players has come together and defied all odds by making it to the final four. 

With an average age of 24 years old, this team has shown maturity beyond its years.

At a time when Philippine football was searching for its next leaders and next generation of players, the likes of Sandro Reyes, Zico Bailey, and Javi Mariona now have a golden chance to do what their predecessors could not do — reach a AFF final. 

With Santi Rublico yet to make his appearance in this year's tourney as he remains part of the lineup, and with the team now afforded a luxurious five day rest, all bets are off against Thailand. 

Only the diehard Philippines fans expected them to make it this far, and with all the pressure on defending champions Thailand, wouldn’t it be fun to defy more odds and reach the country’s first ever final in history?

—JKC, GMA Integrated News