The Philippine men’s national football team has a chance to reach the finals of the ASEAN Championship Mitsubishi Electric Cup for the first time. They will play Thailand again in their two-leg semifinal match at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok this December 30.
The Philippines secured a historic win in the semifinals by defeating Thailand, 2-1, in front of 10,087 fans at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila. This marked the first victory against the Thais in an official match since 1972.
The match moves to Bangkok, where the defending champion will try to win the series. They already beat the Philippines at home during the King’s Cup in October, scoring 3-1.
The Philippines needs at least a draw to reach the finals for the first time. However, after their Match 1 win, coach Albert Capellas stated in an interview that they aimed for nothing less than a victory.
“We have watched the [previous] game, and we have made some adjustments to try to come here and make a good performance for our fans, our federation, and for our players, to show that we are making steps forward. We will try to reach the final for sure,” shared Capellas, expressing confidence in the Philippines’ ability to hold its own against Thailand.
The winner of the match between the Philippines and Thailand will play against the winner of the Vietnam-Singapore match in the finals on January 2 and 5, 2025.
The second match of the Vietnam-Singapore series took place at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phú Thọ, Vietnam.
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