The group stage of the U23 Southeast Asian Championship has officially ended with the 4 best names winning tickets to the semi-finals. In addition to the three familiar teams, U23 Vietnam, U23 Indonesia and U23 Thailand, U23 Philippines also caused a big surprise in this year's tournament.
Under the leadership of coach Garrath McPherson, the U23 Philippines have won 6 points after 3 matches, ranked 2nd in Group A and ranked above another strong team, U23 Malaysia. This result helped Rafael Mariona and his teammates enter the semi-finals as the second team with the best record.
Notably, this is the first time this team has won a ticket to the semi-finals at the U23 Southeast Asian tournament. Therefore, this achievement makes the Philippines fans excited and proud.
Sharing about the achievements of the U23 Philippines, President of the Philippine Football Federation - Mr. John Gutierrez said: "The U23 team winning the right to enter the semi-finals is a historic milestone for Philippine football.
The impressive journey shows that they are a team that is associated with the SAMA-SAMA spirit, and can do great things. We are very excited to continue this journey and make the players' dreams come true. We are extremely proud.
According to Mr. John Gutierrez, the Philippines' passing of the group stage is a testament to the positive progress of Philippine football and a bright future, regardless of whether they go further or not.
Meanwhile, coach McPherson said: "Dynamics are the key factor and we have succeeded. We have achieved all this in just one week of training ahead of the tournament. I am proud and happy and believe that my home fans will be proud of the spirit and bravery of the team.
In the semi-finals, U23 Philippines will face U23 Vietnam - the defending champion of the tournament. Coach Kim Sang-sik said the team is in the best preparations for a victory.
The match will take place at 4:00 p.m. on July 25.
