SIBOL assured itself of at least another bronze medal at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 after its Honor of Kings squad swept South Korea, 2-0, in the quarterfinals on Sunday at Aichi Sky Expo.
The Philippines never gave South Korea a chance to settle into the series, controlling both games from start to finish to secure another medal for the country less than an hour after the Pokémon UNITE squad claimed its own bronze.
READ: SIBOL Pokémon Unite assured of Asian Games bronze
Sibol head coach Gerald Gelacio credited the team’s disciplined play for the dominant quarterfinal showing, saying the squad stuck to what it had practiced and kept its mistakes to a minimum.
“Actually kanina sobrang smooth sailing lang niya kasi sobrang linis ng laro namin and ‘yun ‘yung prinactice namin, sobrang less mistake lang ang nagawa namin and mga minimal [errors] na pwede namin maayos pa,” Gelacio said.
The quarterfinal win set up a daunting task for Sibol as it faces China in the semifinals at 10 a.m. on Monday.
It has been a long day for the country’s Honor of Kings squad, which started in pool play by sweeping Kazakhstan before nearly pulling off an upset against Malaysia, settling for second seed in Pool B and a quarterfinal clash against South Korea.
After going through pool play and the knockout stage on the same day, Sibol now has little time to recover before facing China with a spot in the gold-medal match at stake.
The team is composed of Dragon Hart Dajao, Juschie Tan, Chammy Nazarrea, Jhon Mike Tungol, Golden Hart Dajao, and Charles Esguerra.
“Yun ‘yung gagawin namin mamaya pagbalik ng hotel, marami kaming oras ngayon para panoorin ‘yung game and makagawa ng strategy against them kasi, gaya ng sabi ko, powerhouse team siya and hindi namin siya pwede maliitin,” Gelacio said.
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