Just when it looked like the Philippine Men’s Under-23 National Football Team can leave the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers on a high note, fate turned its ugly head on the squad once again.
In a result that further added salt to Filipino football fans’ wounds, the Philippines succumbed to a 2-3 defeat against Laos, Tuesday afternoon, at the Shah Alam Stadium in Selangor, Malaysia.
The result leaves the Filipinos at bottom of Group 7 with three straight losses, two goals tallied and 14 markers conceded.
With two painful defeats at the hands of Malaysia and China preceding this game, the Philippines and Laos were locked in a battle of pride to escape the ignominy of a last place finish in Group J.
Ateneo Blue Eagle forward Jarvey Gayoso looked set to have propelled the Philippines towards a third-place finish when he put the ball at the back of the net at the 11th and 33rd minutes.
However, Salvador Salvacion’s men failed to defend their halftime lead as Laos retaliated late in the game. The Laotians pulled a goal back at the 74th minute, leveled the contest in the last two minutes of regulation and provided a sucker punch to the Filipinos through a goal in the third minute of stoppage time to win the game.
It was another difficult ending for a Filipino men’s youth national team once again as the Philippines also finished last in the group stages during the 2019 AFF U-22 Youth Championship, which was held last February.
With the country set to host the 2019 Southeast Asian Games wherein football is essentially an Under-22 competition, here’s hoping that the strongest possible team defends home soil with the best preparation to avoid what could be a dismal showing against regional giants such as Thailand and Vietnam.
