THE Philippines conceded two late goals and lost to Thailand, 3-1, on Friday in the 2024 King’s Cup at the Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla, Thailand.
Substitute Suphanat Mueanta rescued the War Elephants from a giant Philippine upset in front of their home fans by scoring in the 68th and 87th minute of the rain-marred contest.
PMNT drew even after a left-footed shot by Bjorn Martin Kristensen in the 63rd in front of 19,506 fans at the stadium, only to concede a goal five minutes later in the first official match of Albert Capellas as Philippine head coach.
READ Azkals dominate India to sweep group matches in Asia 7s
The Philippines will now face Tajikistan in the third-place match. Tajikistan suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Syria.
The Philippines and Thailand could meet again in a couple of months as they are also using the pocket tournament during the FIFA international window as part of the build-up for the 2024 Mitsubishi Electric Cup set in December.
The two teams are in different groups, and would only face each other if they go into the semifinal round.
Chanatip Songkrasin finally put Southeast Asian powerhouse Thailand on the board after a 0-0 tie at the half with a goal in the 53rd minute, after both teams struggled in a pitch left soggy by strong rains that also delayed the start of the match.
The Philippines went down to 10 men after the ejection of Amani Aguinaldo in the 75th.
The match also saw the first game of celebrated Fil-German footballer and former Bundesliga pro Gerritt Holtmann after two years since he first played for the PMNT during the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers last June 2022 when he knocked in the match-winning goal against Mongolia.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
