PMNFT U-23 falls to Vietnam in Mandiri Cup semis

The Philippine Men’s Under-23 National Football Team came up short in its semifinal campaign after they fell to Vietnam, 2-1, in the ASEAN U-23 Mandiri Cup on Friday at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Despite Javier Mariano’s goal that put the Filipino booters at an early advantage, the Vietnamese refused to back down and eventually booked the first spot to the championship against the winner of the other semifinal pairing between host nation Indonesia and Thailand.

Still, the Filipinos made history with their first-ever semifinal appearance in the regional meet where they will now be relegated to the battle for third match on Monday at 9 p.m. (Manila time).

The Philippines finished as a runner-up to Indonesia in the group stage where it nearly completed a sweep if it weren’t for Jaime Rosquillo’s own goal that sent the host nation to the top of the table.

Mariano opened the scoring at the 35th minute and for a moment the Filipinos held the key to the final.

However, Dinh Bac Nguyen pulled level after a scramble inside the box six minutes later. And both squads greeted the break at a stalemate.

With enough momentum, Vietnam opened the second half with a header from Xuan Bac Nguyen at the 54th minute and that was all they needed. 

Even though Vietnam conceded more fouls all game long, the Philippine side was one man down by the final minute as Noah Leddel was sent off following a tackle that prompted a red card.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News