“We are proud of our U23 squad for their unyielding fighting spirit. Our players poured their hearts out against one of Southeast Asia’s top youth teams,” said PFF President John Gutierrez.
The Philippine under-23 men’s national football team had a gallant stand against reigning Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medalist Indonesia U23 with a narrow 0-1 loss but is still in contention for a semis spot in the U23 ASEAN Football Championship Mandiri Cup 2023 on Friday in Jakarta.
The Philippines conceded the lone goal in the 23rd minute with an own goal by Jaime Rosquillo off a long throw by Robi Darwis from the right sideline.
Nonetheless, the Philippines U23 thwarted Indonesia’s eight shots on goal in the first half up to the 70th minute, with the excellent goalkeeping of Nicholas Guimaraes, who was named the Man of the Match, as Indonesia opted to slow down the pace to secure the three points instead of attempting for more.
“Goalkeeper Nicholas Guimaraes delivered a standout performance, making crucial saves and commanding his area, which rightly earned him the title of Player of the Match. It was not easy to block the attempts of the opponents the whole 90-minutes of the game, but he did it. He has surely made the Filipino community proud,” Gutierrez commended.
Jens Raven, the double hat-trick scorer for Indonesia U23 in the opener against Brunei U23, was shut down by the Philippine U23 defense, with his goal in the 47th minute disallowed for being offside.
Center back Noah Leddel had the best chance at goal for the Philippines but his strike off a throw-in play was saved by Muhammad Ardiansyah in the 77th minute.
“We came here tonight with the intent to take the game to the opponent, that will be the approach we take into every game. We are in this game right up until the very final second because of this attitude, because of this mindset. This is a performance that the team should be proud of. I am proud of all of our staff and players for what they showed tonight,” said Head Coach Garrath McPherson during the post-match press conference.
He added, “I know at this moment that they will be disappointed to leave without points, this is the character of this team. They believe they can beat anyone. The path forward is simple; we recover, we get back on the training pitch and we work to improve.”
Still, the Philippines U23, competing in Group A, is still the best second place team with three points and a +1 goal difference, thanks to a 2-0 upset win versus Malaysia U23 last Tuesday.
“Moments of adversity are crucial for growth, and the courage shown by our team, individually and collectively, will undoubtedly forge them into an even stronger force for the future,” Gutierrez concluded.
The Philippines U23 will vie for its second win against eliminated Brunei U23 on July 21 at 9:00 PM.
