There is no shame in the Philippines’ loss to Thailand in the two-legged ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup semifinals, said national football coach Albert Capellas.
Capellas emphasized that the national team delivered its best performance in years.
“We just arrived at this level. For a lot of years we couldn’t play these types of games—to fight until the last second against Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It’s the first time we are here after a lot of years,” Capellas said.
The Philippines made its first ASEAN semifinal appearance since 2018 and ended a 52-year drought against Thailand by winning the first leg of their final four matchup.
However, Thailand bounced back strongly in the second leg, securing a 4-3 aggregate victory to advance to the finals.
Philippine Football Federation (PFF) President John Anthony Gutierrez noted that despite the loss, the Filipinos still gave the War Elephants a tough challenge.
“We hold our heads high. This is our first ASEAN semifinal that went to extra time. Our men fought with heroism; they never gave up, despite Thailand’s immense championship pedigree, despite the loud Thai crowd,” said Gutierrez.
Gutierrez said the nationals’ victory over Indonesia in the group phase and Thailand in the semis showed progress for the Philippines.
“We are going to bring these gains come March 2025 in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, where we are grouped with countries that we have defeated multiple times,” Gutierrez said.
“We are going to build a new football renaissance with the success of our men’s and women’s teams alongside their respective youth teams. We are excited to have an exciting football year in 2025.”
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