By MARK REY MONTEJO
The Philippine men’s national football team shrugged off a lackluster start to drub host Laos, 4-1, for its first win in the 2026 ASEAN Championship (Hyundai Cup) at the Lao National Stadium Saturday, Aug. 1.
Driven by their desire to recover from a painful 4-1 loss to Myanmar back home, the Nationals yielded the first goal but went on a tear in the second half to turn their fortunes around.
This convincing triumph lifted the Philippines to a 1-1 tally, while eliminating Laos which suffered its third defeat in as many outings.
The Philippines goes for two in a row, perhaps seizing the chance of redeeming itself before its home fans when it squares off with Thailand (1-0) on Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.
In the Group B standings, the Philippines, Thailand, and Myanmar are tied with three points each, while leading so far is Malaysia (2-0) with 6 points. Laos sits at the bottom.
Only top teams from two groups are going to advance to the semis, a position that the country reached five times, including in 2024.
“The Philippines secures a resounding 4–1 victory following an impressive second-half display,” the PMNFT wrote on its social media post. “On to the next! Laban, Pilipinas!”
Despite Laos striking first, the Philippines didn’t let its morale down.
They came back refueled as the scoring spree was ignited by John Lucero, who found the back of the net in the 47th minute. Laos’ woes deepened just five minutes later when substitute Viengxay Sydavong accidentally scored an own goal.
Jarvey Gayoso then added another in the 60-minute mark before veteran Daisuke Sato put the finishing touch in the 88th minute.
