MUEANG CHONBURI, Thailand – The Philippines boosted its medal chances in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, beating reigning champion Indonesia, 1-0, on Monday night to complete a sweep of the group stage at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chang Mai.
Otu Banatao scored the lone goal of the match from a throw into the box by Sandro Reyes. The inbound took one bounce and found its way to Banatao, who headed the ball to the back of the net just before the halftime whistle.
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The goal enabled the Philippines to clinch the top seed in Group A and the outright spot in the semifinals with a chance at a podium finish.
The Philippines reached the semifinals of the SEA Games for the first time since it became an Under-22 tournament in 2017.
Before that, the last time the Philippines advanced to the Final Four in the SEA Games was in 1991 in Manila when teams were still fielding the senior squads.
The Philippines has never won a medal in SEA Games men’s football.
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