Philippines U23 shocks Malaysia in Mandiri Cup opener

The Philippines U23 men’s national football team stunned regional rivals Malaysia with a 2–0 victory to open their U23 ASEAN Championship Mandiri Cup campaign on Wednesday at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

The win marks the Philippines’ first against Malaysia U23 since the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and their biggest ever in head-to-head history.

Striker Otu Banatao delivered a first-half brace, with assists from Javier Mariona and Uriel Dalapo, while goalkeeper Nic Guimaraes and a composed backline preserved a clean sheet to frustrate Malaysia’s high-tempo attack.

“We are incredibly proud of our U23 men!” said Philippine Football Federation (PFF) President John Gutierrez.

“This team, a blend of homegrown talent and our best youth players from abroad, truly reflects the growing success of our talent identification program,” he added.

“Under the leadership of Coach Garrath McPherson and assistant coach Popoy Clariño, we’re confident this squad will grow, as they face stronger opponents in the near future.”

The Philippines struck early in the ninth minute when Mariona, a standout from the 2023 ASEAN Mitsubishi Cup, beat Aiman Hakimi on the flank and set up Banatao, who finished with precision past the Malaysian keeper.

Malaysia nearly responded, with Haqimi Azim hitting the crossbar in the 20th minute and Fergus Tierney’s header being called back for a foul in the 30th.

Dalapo, who replaced John Lucero midway through the first half, made an immediate impact, threading a perfectly timed pass in the 40th minute to Banatao, who calmly doubled the lead.

Despite mounting pressure from Malaysia, the Philippine defense held firm in the second half.

Harry Danish fluffed a sitter in the 51st, while Tierney missed two golden chances in the 63rd and 76th minutes.

Guimaraes came up big in stoppage time, punching out a dangerous cross, while defenders Joshua Meriño and Ziggy Taningco forced attackers into off-target shots in the final minutes.

Head Coach Garrath McPherson credited his staff and players for executing their simple but focused game plan.

“I would like to thank our assistant Coach Popoy and our goalkeeper Coach Juan, who held a training camp a week prior. Every little thing helps,” McPherson said at the post-match press conference.

“When you have a short journey, you just need to prioritize what it is that you want, to know and to understand,” he continued.

“So we prioritized some key areas of how we want to approach the game, kept it very simple, and the rest is open to the players.”

He praised the team’s culture and unity, saying, “I’ve learned through my two years of working alongside Filipino people that they are very loyal and they fight together. It’s their culture. It’s who they are.”

The win breaks a two-match scoring drought against Malaysia dating back to the post-SEA Games period and injects momentum into the Philippines’ Group A campaign.

The Philippines will next face tournament host and SEA Games gold medalist Indonesia today, July 18, at 9 p.m., a match that pits the underdog Filipinos against a powerhouse squad that reached the U23 Asian Cup semifinals.