The Philippines had its best finish in the ASEAN U-23 Championship Mandiri Cup as it placed fourth in the tournament recently held in Indonesia.
The Philippines went against Thailand in the third place playoff last Monday but fell short, 3-1.
Otu Banatao made the country’s lone goal at the 79th minute but the Thais were already ahead 2-0 prior to that. Seksan Ratree eventually sealed the victory for Thailand.
Prior to the battle for third, the Philippines fell short against Vietnam, 2-1.
This is the first time that the Philippines went as far as the semis since the tournament’s first edition in 2005.
The 18-year old Banatao was also named as the Rising Star of the tournament after his three-goal performance.
“I’m honored to have received the Adidas Rising Star Award and I’d like to thank everyone on the team for helping and supporting me throughout the tournament. It’s also because of them that I am in this position. This award motivates me to continue to make our country proud and soon, hopefully, earn our first podium finish.”
Banatao is a Filipino-American playing for Old Dominion University in Virginia, United States.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
