Match on Friday
(Rizal Memorial Stadium)
9 p.m. – Philippines vs Thailand (Semifinal Leg 1)

THE Last Dance has been unreachable and powerhouse Thailand uncrackable so far, even for the legendary batch that made stellar runs in the 2010s.

Now the young bloods of the Philippine men’s football team take their shot at breaking ground as they carry the fight in the Asean Championship-Mitsubishi Electric Cup knockout stages.

The Albert Capellas-coached booters take the first step in a crucial semifinal opening leg at the Rizal Memorial Stadium against the three-peat-seeking War Elephants.

It’s a daunting task versus the Thais, the tournament’s most bemedalled squad with seven championships whom the Filipinos haven’t beaten since winning their first three encounters from 1971 to 1972. The best results achieved since then were a 0-0 draw in Leg 1 of the Final Four of the 2014 Asean meet and a 1-1 tie in the group stage of the 2018 edition with a team led by Phil Younghusband.

But the current crop is ready to face the Thais head-on in the 9 p.m. home gig and gun for the elusive victory to gain the edge heading into the return leg set Monday over in Bangkok.

“We’ll do our best to reach the finals,” said Mr. Capellas, whose charges broke a six-year drought of semifinal appearances in the biennial bootfest.

“We’re playing at home against Thailand and I hope the crowd, the Filipinos, will support us as much as they can because we will need that.” — Olmin Leyba