The Philippine men's national football team kept a clean slate against Tajikistan, clinching a bronze medal in the 2024 Kings' Cup. It's their first podium finish in the tournament.
"That felt good."
Forward Alex Monis probably said it best when the Philippine men's national football team (PMNFT) finished the 2024 Kings' Cup on a high note, blanking Tajikistan 3-0 to secure the bronze on Monday night, October 14.
It's the first podium finish for the Philippines in the tournament, and the first victory under Albert Capellas.
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After suffering a 3-1 defeat to host Thailand, the PMNFT vowed to come back stronger in the four-nation tournament. Only they had to do so against 2022 champion Tajikistan.
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Gerrit Holtmann started the breakthrough for the Philippines in the 47th minute. The goalkeeper could not hold on to the ball, which bounced off his body and rolled towards the net.
Jeff Tabinas gave the Philippines some breather with a 54th minute header from a corner.
Zico Bailey then made his first goal for the Philippines with a slide and a bounce at the 62nd minute.
And there was no doubt about his Pinoy-ness by celebrating with this "Maybe This Time" dance trend.
And with that, the 148th-ranked Philippines beat the 103rd-ranked Tajikistan with a clean slate.
"As promised, we came back stronger!" the squad's account posted.
Defender Michael Kempter also shared this story with two words to succinctly cover the whole experience.
Comeback. Win.
"It feels great," Bailey said in the PMNFT social media account, as he scored his first goal for the Philippines.
He acknowledged it's been a while since the Filipinos kept three points in a match.
"We've been wanting it a long time. We wanted to show everytime we put on a shirt, there's a lot of pride. We try to play and show our quality," he added.
"Yeah, we go again."
Captain Kevin Ray Mendoza had one thing to ask of the team and the fans.
"Let’s do this together," he posted.
The squad will also be preparing for the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.