Bjørn Kristensen felt that the Philippine Men’s National Football Team is finally showing what it is capable of after it edged out Indonesia 1-0 at the Manahan Stadium in Surakarta last Saturday to book a ticket to the semifinals of the 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup.
Kristensen, who now has two goals for the Philippines in this campaign, slotted home the winning penalty in the 63rd minute and celebrated the goal by doing a baseball swing as his teammates ran to him.
In a previous interview, the Filipino-Norwegian forward stated for the nationals to do well, they would have to convert their chances, and it’s safe to say that he put his money where his mouth is by putting the ball at the back of the net with over 17,000 fans watching him in the stadium.
“We know we have quality,” he said. “We’re still undefeated here. We didn’t have the luck with us in the first three games. We played well against Vietnam, the group leader, so we know we have the quality. It’s just getting the potential out.”
Once the Philippines scored its goal, it was all about defending its one-goal lead at the Manahan Stadium. With Vietnam drubbing Myanmar in the other match, the Philippines had its destiny. Kristensen and his teammates did everything to pull through, and once the final whistle was sounded, the whole team, including players, coaches, and other staff, celebrated wildly on the pitch.
“It was very good,” he said. “It was nervous at the last minute. The best feeling was the final whistle. It took a long time. I think it was 10-11 added minutes. It was very nervous.”
After being in danger of not making the semifinals for the third straight edition of the regional competition, the Philippines’ reward for its three draws and one win in Group B is a first final four appearance in six years with matches against Group A winner Thailand to take place this Friday and Monday.
History beckons for Kristensen and the rest of the team if they manage to pull through as the Philippines has yet to compete in the tournament finals. For the 22-year-old-striker, he is looking forward to the challenge of bringing the country to that stage for the first time in history.
“You never know,” he said. “Thailand is a good team. We met them before. We know that they have some good players, a good system, and a good coach — everything.”
“Yeah, it’s gonna be fun.”
