Jarvey Gayoso remained grateful despite the Philippines’ late heartbreak against Vietnam last Thursday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024.
Coming on in the 65th minute, the former Ateneo Blue Eagle scored the opening goal to give the home side a crucial lead. However, a late equalizer allowed Vietnam to secure a 1-1 draw, bringing their tally to seven points in Group B and edging them closer to the semifinals.
Although Gayoso and the PMNFT fell short of victory, his spirits remained high. Fresh from his wedding last Saturday to his longtime partner, he also shared the exciting news that he and his wife are expecting their first child.
“For me, I just wanted to cap off the perfect week that I’ve had,” said the two-time UAAP champion. “I was able to unionize my relationship with Dani, of course. Getting all that out of the way, I just wanted to do my best for the country, and we fell short. In the end, it was still perfect. I still offered it to my coming baby and my new wife.
“I guess everybody understands that I’m expecting a baby girl. That was just for them, my family, and my wife.”
While Gayoso expressed his disappointment at not securing the breakthrough win, the sting of the result was compounded by the nature of the draw. This was the Philippines’ third consecutive stalemate in the tournament.
With sharper finishing and more composure, they might have already secured a semifinal berth.
Gayoso attributed the result to Vietnam’s relentless effort and the Philippines’ waning energy in the final stages.
“I think it was more about time management. In the end, we were kind of tired also. Vietnam is a very resilient team. They were able to find that last breath and push until the very end. I think we weren’t able to seal the win because we couldn’t give that last push,” he explained.
Despite the setback, Gayoso and the national team remain optimistic.
A win against Indonesia in their upcoming away game, combined with a Vietnam victory over Myanmar, would send the Philippines to the semifinals for the first time since 2018.
For Gayoso, the pivotal match against the Garuda Squad is a chance to build on his first goal in the tournament and help propel Philippines forward.
“We are still positive,” he said.
“We told ourselves that technically, the most important game is the Indonesia game. If we look at the table, sila yung importanteng kalaban, so a loss, a win, or a draw, sila yung pinakaimportanteng kalaban namin. Our focus now is really on recovery so we can play at 100-percent.”
Buoyed by the support of his family and the joy of his recent milestones, Gayoso is determined to lead the country to a triumphant finish on Sunday.
