Filipino booters enter Asean Championship with momentum

MANILA, Philippines — Finally over the hump after closing out its King’s Cup campaign in Thailand with a bang, the Philippine men’s football team is moving forward to its next big battles, especially the Asean Championship in December, with lots of confidence.

The Pinoy booters took third place in the four-nation meet held in Songkhla after an emotional 3-0 upset of Tajikistan, marking their breakthrough victory under Spaniard Albert Capellas while also ending a harrowing 10-match winless slump since last year.

This, according to coach Capellas and Filipino-American Zico Bailey, augurs well for the side as it steps up its buildup for the redemption tour in the Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup.

“We haven’t won in a long time so we wanted to show every time we put on the shirt, we play with a lot of pride and try to play and show our quality and get ready for the tournament in December. I think we showed that today (against Tajikistan) and we go again,” Bailey said.

“I’m new to the group but I can see only good things, only positive things. I think there’s a lot of quality in this team so (it’s) sky’s the limit for this group,” added Bailey, a right-back playing for USL Championship club New Mexico United.

After a 0-0 tie, the Pinoy booters seized control from the Tajiks in the second half.

Gerrit Holtmann, the celebrated Fil-German winger from Bundesliga club VfL Bochum, fired the go-ahead 47th minute. Buriram United defender Jefferson Tabinas doubled the lead nine minutes later before Bailey scored his first international goal in the 62nd as the Philippines finally celebrated a victory again after a 2-1 verdict over Afghanistan in September 2023 in Manila.

“We’ve made another step forward in how we play, showing much more maturity,” said Capellas, who got the job only last month.

“Credit goes to the players. Despite working together for only a short time, they’ve quickly grasped everything, which shows how talented they are. I hope we can continue playing like this in more matches,” he added.