Quincy Kammeraad exemplified what it meant to be the next man up in the biggest match yet of his young career.
Coming in for the injured Patrick Deyto just nine minutes into the match, the 23-year-old Filipino-Dutch goalkeeper valiantly put it all on the line to keep a priceless clean sheet.
And his performance allowed the Philippines to prevail 1-0 against Indonesia at the Manahan Stadium in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024.
It was an incredible evening for the former Azkals Development Team stopper.
Not only was the match a personal milestone for the 6-foot-1 stopper, but his contribution also played a big part in ensuring that the Philippines ended a six-year drought away from the semifinals of the regional tournament.
“It didn’t really sink in until I touched the first ball, where it felt surreal,” Kammeraad said.
“Obviously, it was an amazing stadium, an amazing atmosphere to make the debut. I think keeping the clean sheet, something we haven’t done yet in this tournament, and being part of that is a good feeling. Something I will have forever with me.”
Kammeraad was a solid figure at the heart of the Philippine defense, denying the likes of Marselino Ferdinan, Hokky Caraka and Achmad Syarif with fine saves to keep the home side at bay.
His fine performance masked the fact that he was not even 100% fit on the pitch.
Nevertheless, for him, it was a Herculean team effort that saw Albert Capellas’ side come good. He and his teammates followed what their Spanish mentor instructed them to do and their obedience paid utmost dividends at the final whistle.
“It’s funny because I cramped up actually because of nerves. But I think other than that, it’s not just me but the whole team’s performance. Everybody did what they had to do, and then luck comes on our side,” Kammeraad admitted.
“Dealing with their long throw-ins has been their main aspect, and what coach Albert said in the press conference earlier – try to steal the ball early from them, try to build the game on, and try to build from there, and then our chances will come. Thankfully, Bjørn (Kristensen) finished the chance.”
It remains to be seen if Kammeraad will be in goal for the Philippines in its upcoming two-legged affair against Thailand on December 27 and 30.
Regardless, his performance and this victory will live long in the memory of the national team’s fans who continuously hope to see the day that the country will become the king of ASEAN football.
Starting from representing the nation at different youth levels until now, the former Kaya-Iloilo stopper has come a long way.
Now, he is ready to play his part once again to help the team finally clinch the long-awaited championship.
“I’ve done a full cycle with the national team, coming from the youth and now making my senior debut,” he said.
“I’m very proud of the team and now we gotta do everything to make it to the finals and bring the trophy home.”
