PETALING JAYA, Malaysia — SIBOL’s Honor of Kings team closed out the group stage with a 0-2 loss to regional rival Indonesia on Friday, but still secured a second-place finish and a berth in the main stage of the Asian Games at the Petaling Jaya Marriott Hotel.
The defeat dropped the Filipinos to a 3-1 record in Group A. Still, it was enough to qualify alongside Indonesia for the continental showpiece in Nagoya later this year.
Despite the loss, head coach Gerald Gelacio viewed the setback as a valuable learning experience ahead of the tougher challenges awaiting the team at the Asian Games.
“For this result versus Indonesia, siguro bumaba nang kaunti ang confidence namin. What I mean is hindi namin nalaro nang maayos ang team composition namin,” said Gelacio.
“Magandang lesson ito para sa amin going to the main event ng Asian Games, kasi doon namin makikita ang mas malalakas pang teams. Kaya mas kailangan naming maghanda. Luckily, marami pa kaming oras para maayos ang mga problema namin as a team,” he added.
SIBOL kept Game 1 competitive early on but surrendered the 12th-minute Shadow Overlord, allowing Indonesia to gradually take control of the map. Indonesia eventually built a 4,200-gold lead late in the 15th minute after destroying all of the Filipinos’ high-ground towers.
The Indonesians put the game away in the 17th minute as Agung Prasetyo delivered a Triple Strike while Emanuel Paska added a Double Strike to complete a 5-for-0 Ace, setting up the game-winning push.
Game 2 followed a similar script, with the Filipinos falling behind by as much as 9,000 gold after Indonesia raced to a commanding 9-1 kill advantage.
SIBOL showed signs of a comeback when Golden Dajao secured two kills during a 10th-minute base defense, helping force a 3-for-1 trade.
However, Indonesia’s Neville Garrick extinguished any hopes of a rally in the 11th minute. The team unleashed a Triple Strike during a Shadow Vanguard clash that resulted in a series-clinching 5-for-0 Ace.
Despite the setback, SIBOL accomplished its primary objective of qualifying for the Asian Games, advancing to the main stage as the No. 2 seed from Group A.
