ASEAN Championship: Late Thailand goal dents PH semifinal hopes

The Philippine men's national football team's hopes of advancing to the knockout stage of the ASEAN Championship took a major hit after absorbing a 1-0 loss to powerhouse Thailand in their Group B clash on Tuesday at New Clark City Stadium.

Waris Choolthong scored the lone goal of the match with a header in the 84th minute, lifting Thailand to a perfect 3-0-0 record (9 points) and the top spot in Group B. The defeat dropped the Philippines to 1-0-2 (3 points) ahead of its final group stage match against Malaysia.

The Philippines came out aggressively in the opening half, with Oskari Kekkonen and Daisuke Sato creating early chances, but the Thai defense held firm as both teams went into halftime scoreless.

Thailand went more aggressive after the break and broke the deadlock late in the match when Choolthong headed home the winner. Returning goalkeeper Patrick Deyto got a hand on the attempt but was unable to keep it out.

Despite conceding the decisive goal, Deyto was one of the Philippines' bright spots, finishing with five saves compared to Thailand's lone stop.

The Philippines will face Malaysia on Saturday in Kuala Lumpur, while Thailand will take on Myanmar.

Malaysia and Myanmar trail Thailand in the Group B standings with identical 2-0-1 records, followed by the Philippines at 1-0-2. Laos has already been eliminated from semifinal contention.

Only the top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage.

—JKC, GMA News