At Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, the Philippines goal weathered a storm of attacks from Vietnam in the first 20 minutes. The post saved them twice before Javier Mariona unexpectedly opened the scoring in the 36th minute, capitalizing on a mistake by the Vietnamese defense.

However, the Philippines couldn't maintain their advantage. Despite being saved twice more by the crossbar and post, they conceded goals in the 41st and 54th minutes to Nguyen Dinh Bac's rebound and Nguyen Xuan Bac's header, respectively.

Coach Garrath McPherson attends the press conference after the Philippines lost 2-1 to Vietnam in the 2025 AFF U23 Championship semi-final at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia, on 25/7/2025. Photo: Hai Tu

"We are very disappointed. There were moments I thought we would win this match. We need more practice," McPherson said at the post-match press conference. "Vietnam is a strong attacking team. We tried to disrupt their system, but we couldn't."

This is the Philippines' first time reaching the AFF U23 Championship semi-final in five appearances. Their 23-player squad includes 13 players from universities in the US, Japan, and the Philippines. Despite this, the team has shown the ability to surprise stronger Southeast Asian football nations like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

"This is an opportunity for the players to gain practical experience, preparing for the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games," McPherson said. "Against the champions Vietnam, we had good moments but still need to learn more."

Key moments of Vietnam's 2-1 victory over the Philippines in the 2025 AFF U23 Championship semi-final.

In the group stage, the Philippines beat Malaysia 2-0 and only lost 1-0 to Indonesia due to an own goal. When asked to compare Vietnam and Indonesia, McPherson said: "They are strong in set pieces. Vietnam has good ball control and are very dangerous when they have the ball in the opponent's half."

Of Vietnam's seven goals in the tournament so far, four have come from headers. Even Dinh Bac's rebound goal against the Philippines originated from a header. Meanwhile, Indonesia boasts Robi Darwis, known for his long throw-ins.

To face Vietnam in the final on 29/7, 2025 AFF U23 Championship hosts Indonesia must overcome Thailand in the other semi-final. Meanwhile, the Philippines will play the loser of that match for third place on 28/7.

Hieu Luong