THE Philippines bowed to reigning two-time champion Vietnam, 2-1, in the semifinals of the ASEAN U-23 Mandiri Cup 2025 at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
The Nationals conceded the last two goals of their maiden semifinal appearance of the tournament on its fifth edition and miss out on a landmark final appearance in the U-23 tournament.
The Philippines will play in the third place game against Thailand on Monday.
Javier Mariona got the Philippines the lead in the 36th but Vietnam quickly levelled in the 41st on a goal by Nguyen Dinh Bac.
Nguyen Xuan Bac scored against Philippines goalkeeper Nicholas Guimaraes in the 54th minute to arrange a final match against host Indonesia, which beat Thailand on penalties, 7-6, after a 1-1 tie.
The Philippines made it to the semifinals after wins over Malaysia and Brunei to finish second in Group A with six points behind Indonesia, setting up a crossover semifinal duel with Group B top-seed Vietnam.
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