ANOTHER victory for the Philippines in sports, as the Philippine Men’s National Football Team finished on the podium by winning the bronze medal in the 2024 King’s Cup in Songkhla, Thailand.

Team Philippines finished their King’s Cup campaign with a thumping 3-0 victory over Tajikistan at Tindulanon Stadium, giving the national team’s first win under new head coach Albert Capellas. 

Off we go

Despite an uphill battle start, with the national team going scoreless in the first half, Gerrit Holtmann, Jefferson Tabinas, and Zico Bailey made sure to deliver a victory, with the three players scoring in the second half. 

Holtmann had another strong start, firing two shots on goal within the first 21 minutes of the game, but both attempts were unsuccessful.

Rustam Yatimov, Tajikistan’s goalkeeper, made two consecutive stops to block youngster Santiago Rublico and experienced midfielder Manny Ott from scoring outside the penalty box in the 30th minute.

Six minutes before halftime, Holtmann received a yellow card for a sliding tackle on Tajikistan’s first-half substitute, Nuriddin Khamrokulov.

He then scored the opening goal and broke the scoreless tie in the 47th minute, with a strong left-footed strike outside the penalty area, after a pass from his teammate Bjorn Kristensen.

Tabinas scored the Filipinos’ second goal in the 58th minute, connecting off a Sandro Reyes cross from the right corner flag. Meanwhile, Bailey scored the match’s third and final goal after getting a precise cut-back from Holtmann on the left flank.

A team win

Capellas stated that the team started the four-team event believing it could win it all, but he was still pleased with how his charges played, despite their belief not coming to life.

“We make another step forward in our way of playing, in our way of playing the games – much more mature – and all the credit [goes to] the players,” said Capellas, crediting his players for the success.

“We’ve been working together very few times, and it’s amazing how quick they are becoming everything so that means they have a lot of talent.”

Despite the absence of team captain and defender Amani Aguinaldo, who received a red card against Thailand, Capellas was able to adjust their lineup, replacing him with 25-year-old Christian Rontini in the starting lineup.

Tajikistan, on the other hand, finished the King’s Cup without a single victory. Following the conclusion of the four-team event, they were ranked last.