SEA Games: Philippines fade late vs Vietnam in men's football, relegated to battle for bronze

BANGKOK — The Philippine men’s national football team crashed out of contention for the gold medal in the SEA Games 2025 after a heartbreaking 2-nil loss to Vietnam at the Rajmangala Stadium here on Monday evening.

After defending well in the first 80 minutes of the match, the Philippines conceded a late goal courtesy of Le Van Thuan. He headed in the goal past Nicholas Guimaraes to pull Vietnam in front with little to no time left for an equalizer.

The goal clearly deflated the Philippines’ spirits as they conceded another goal in stoppage time, with Nguyen Thanh Nhan converting on a free kick for the 2-nil advantage.

Philippines head coach Garrath McPherson spoke candidly about the narrow loss which dampened the Philippines’ campaign which marked the first time in over three decades that the men’s team moved on to the medal rounds in the biennial meet.

“I think everyone that was here saw a highly competitive game between two teams who deserve to be playing in a gold medal match in three days time. Ultimately, Vietnam showed a little bit more quality towards the end of that game and were able to take a moment to score from a cross into the box.” said McPherson.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Philippines do have a chance to clinch a medal, still, with the bronze medal match still looming.

The Philippines has the chance to clinch its first-ever podium finish in SEA Games men’s football.

The team plays for a historic moment on Thursday, December 18, still at the Rajmangala Stadium.

Over on the women’s side, the Philippines is headed for the gold medal match against defending champions Vietnam in Chonburi.

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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.

Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.