“We are incredibly proud of our U23 men! This team, a blend of homegrown talent and our best youth players from abroad, truly reflects the growing success of our talent identification program. Under the leadership of Coach Garrath McPherson and assistant coach Popoy Clariño, we’re confident this squad will grow, as they face stronger opponents in the near future,” said PFF President John Gutierrez
The Philippines U23 men’s national football team kicked off Group A of the U23 ASEAN Championship Mandiri Cup with a resounding 2-0 victory against Malaysia U23 at the Gelaro Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Former U20 star striker Otu Banatao netted a brilliant brace in the first half, wingers Javier Mariona and Uriel Dalapo provided quality assists. Goalkeeper Nic Guimaraes and the back four — Joshua Meriño, Noah Leddel, Ziggy Taningco, and Kamil Amirul — had crucial stops to frustrate the Malaysian attacks.
The Philippines delivered an early shocker when Mariona, a standout from last year’s ASEAN Mitsubishi Cup, skillfully weaved past Aiman Hakimi to set up Banatao, who expertly slid the ball past the goalkeeper for the opening goal in the ninth minute.
Malaysia pressed for an equalizer, but the Philippines’ defense held firm. Haqimi Azim’s strike rattled the crossbar in the 20th minute, and Fergus Tierney was whistled for a foul on his header shot from a corner kick in the 30th.
Early substitute Uriel Dalapo, who replaced John Lucero in the 24th minute, injected fresh energy into the Philippine attack, issuing an outswinging through ball off the break to a surging Banatao to complete his brace in the 40th minute.
Guimaraes and the Filipino backline maintained their impenetrable form in the second half, consistently frustrating Malaysia’s attempts to narrow the deficit. In the 51st minute, Harry Danish fumbled a golden opportunity directly in front of goal, while an open Tierney blazed a rebound over the bar after Guimaraes saved Faris Danish’s strike in the 63rd.
Frustration mounted for Tierney, who skied another open shot from a through ball in the 76th minute. In stoppage time, Guimaraes emphatically punched out a dangerous Malaysian cross. Meriño and Taningco showcased exceptional one-on-one defending in the waning minutes, forcing their markers into off-target shots and sealing the Philippines’ historic win.
“I would like to thank our assistant Coach Popoy and our goalkeeper Coach Juan, who held a training camp a week prior. Every little thing helps. When you have a short journey, you just need to prioritize what it is that you want, to know and to understand. So we prioritized some key areas of how we want to approach the game, kept it very simple, and the rest is open to the players,” Head Coach Garrath McPherson said during the press conference.
He continued, “I’ve learned through my two years of working alongside Filipino people that they are very loyal and they fight together. It’s their culture. It’s who they are. So that one isn’t much different to me or what I do. It’s just part of why I enjoy coaching people so much.”
This victory marks the biggest win for the Philippines U23 against Malaysia U23 in their head-to-head history and their first since the 2019 Manila Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, where the team was bolstered by senior national team stalwarts Stephan Schrock and Amani Aguinaldo. Following that biennial meet, the Philippines U23 had suffered back-to-back shutouts from the Malaysians prior to tonight’s triumph.
The Philippines U23 will next face the host country, reigning SEA Games Gold medalist and U23 Asian Cup semifinalist Indonesia, on Friday at 9 PM.
