By NIKOLE JAVIER
The Philippine men’s national football team is eyeing to nail its first win when it wraps up its campaign in the preliminary joint qualifiers against host Indonesia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup on Tuesday, June 11, at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
Following their winless run in five outings, the Filipinos are looking to play for pride and end their campaign on a bright note at 8:30 p.m.
While the Philippines struggled thoroughly in the qualifiers, Indonesia merely made it to second place just behind group leader Iraq, which remained undefeated in five matches with 15 points and a +13 goal difference – way ahead and dominant on top.
Despite its current standing, the Indonesians are not assured of a spot to the third round yet as the Vietnamese, who defeated the Filipinos 3-2 last week, is only trailing by a single point and gearing up to pull off a last-minute switcheroo in the standings.
Between fighting for a spot to the third round and playing up for pride, the match is expected to be an intense clash.
Seven months ago during their first meeting, both squads settled for a 1-1 draw.
There, Patrick Reichelt untangled the Nationals from a goalless deadlock in the first half.
For most of the match, the Philippines held the lead before Indonesia finally equalized late in the second half.
Under the guidance of still fairly new head coach Tom Saintfiet, the Pinoy booters are gunning for their first win and the momentum that comes with it as they brace for the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup in November against familiar foes.
