The Philippines Under-22 National Team missed a spot to the final of the Merlion Cup 2019 following a 3-0 loss to tournament hosts Singapore U22 last Friday, 07 June 2019 at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.
The Philippines almost took the lead in the opening 10 minutes. Forward Javier Gayoso raced past three defenders in the Singapore box, but his shot was denied by the on-rushing goalkeeper.
Philippines goalkeeper Michael Asong also made decent efforts to keep the scores level, but Singapore capitalized on a defensive mishap to claim the first goal in the 26th minute.
Down by one goal at the half, the Philippines looked for an equalizer, but the host netted in the 62nd and 67th minutes to claim the win.
The Merlion Cup is the third competition the Philippines U22 team has participated in preparation for the 30th Southeast Asian Games this November.
Despite the loss, the Philippines U22 will face Indonesia U22, which lost to Thailand, 2-1, in the opening match, in the 3rd/4th Place Play-off on Sunday, 09 June 2019. Kick-off is at 4:30 PM.