THE Philippines’ magical run in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 came to an end on Monday, losing to Thailand, 3-1, in the second and final leg of their semifinal affair at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.
Star striker Suphanat Mueanta came in as a substitute and scored on a late header in the 116th minute to the delight of the 31,876 fans in their home field to send Thailand to the finals via a 4-3 aggregate.
Thailand advanced by scoring the two-goal lead it required to win in order to reach the finals and make up for its 2-1 defeat against the Philippines last Friday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Thailand arranged a finals rematch against Vietnam, which defeated Singapore by an aggregate of 5-1 in its own two-legged semifinal.
The Philippine men’s national team (PMNT) had a gallant fight, sending the match into extra time on a goal by Bjorn Kristensen in the 84th minute to tie their semifinal affair at 3-3.
But the two goals conceded by the Philippines proved to be the tonic that Thailand needed to progress.
A contentious goal by Peeradol Chamrasamee in the 38th minute set the pace for Thailand, knocking in the shot off a deflection by Philippines defender Adrian Ugelvik.
Replays, however, showed that the pass by Seksan Ratree that led to Peeradol goal appeared to be already out of bounds. The play was not reviewed by the VAR.
Thailand made it 2-0 after it took advantage of a miscue by the Philippines defense, allowing Patrik Gustavsson to score from the left side of the penalty box.
The winner came from Suphanat, who scored his fourth goal of the tournament with a header off a pass by fellow substitute Worachit Kanitsribumphen, even against the defense of Paul Tabinas.
It was a heartbreaking defeat, its only loss of the tournament, for PMNT, which came four minutes away from earning another reprieve and forcing a penalty shootout until that goal by Suphanat.
Entering the second and final leg of the semifinals, the Philippines only needed at least a draw to clinch its first-ever ASEAN Cup finals appearance after its landmark win over Thailand last Friday.
Suphanat’s goal also spoiled the effort of Quincy Kammeraad, who displayed another excellent showing as the Philippines goalkeeper with key stops that included a fingertip save in the 106th on a shot by Supachok Sarachat.
“I think we fought back as a team, getting the 2-1 back to put us back to getting into extra time. This is unfortunate that you have to end the tournament. But it could have went both ways. They had chances. We had chances. It was a fair game,” said Kammeraad.
The Philippines reached its first semifinal appearance in six years after earning six points to take second place in Group B following a lone win over Indonesia and three draws against Myanmar, Laos, and eventual finalist.
“This is another hill that we have to climb. I think the fans at home can be proud of us and look forward to the coming years of what this team can do,” the 23-year-old added.
The squad’s next tournament will be the third and final round of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers which will start during the March 2025 international window.
It will be battling against Tajikistan, Maldives, and Timor Leste for the lone spot in the Asian Cup for Group A.
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