Banged up but unbothered, Robert Esguerra is hungry for payback as the Philippine men’s polo squad gears up for a crucial semifinal rematch with host Thailand in two days.
Robert Esguerra isn’t taking the loss lying down.
After a hard-fought 2.5–4 defeat to host Thailand in the SEA Games 2025, the Philippine men’s polo team still secured a semifinal spot by finishing 1-1 in group play as the third seed.
[ALSO READ: SEA Games: Philippine polo team loses to host Thailand in prelims, sets semis rematch]
But the sting of defeat lingers—and Esguerra is ready to turn it into motivation in their upcoming high-stakes rematch with the Thais.
“Pasok naman tayo sa semis, kaya doon na lang tayo babawi sa kanila,” the 25-year-old said in an interview with Cignal.
Despite sustaining an injury, Esguerra managed to score a goal for the country, but it wasn’t enough to stop Thailand from rolling to their second consecutive win.
Team captain Stefano Juban took a measured approach, focusing on the positives.
“You learn from the loss. At least ngayon, alam na namin kung paano sila bantayan at kung ano ‘yung strategy nila. Going into the next match with them, we should be able to adjust better,” he said.
Esguerra shared the same determination: “Yung diskarte nila, alam na namin. Kaya ngayon, aaraalin namin para talunin ang Thailand.”
The rematch comes quickly, as Team Philippines will go head-to-head with Thailand once more, this time with a coveted spot in the gold medal match on the line on Monday, December 8.
[ALSO READ: SCHEDULE | Team Philippines competes at SEA Games 2025 Thailand]
In the other semifinal, unbeaten top-seed Malaysia will take on fourth-ranked Brunei.
(With reports from Reg Lorque, Bea Gadiano/Cignal)
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.