Coach Carles Cuadrat declared himself delighted with his team’s second-half show after the Philippines battled back from going a goal behind to secure a 4-1 win over 10-man Laos in Group B of the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ 2026 in Vientiane on Saturday.
A handling error by Philippines goalkeeper Quincy Kammeraad gifted the home side the lead following a strike from distance by Damoth Thongkhamsavath in the seventh minute although Laos saw Phetdavanh Somsanid sent off seven minutes later.
But second-half goals from John Lucero, Jarvey Gayoso and Daisuke Sato as well as an own goal by Viengxay Sydavong earned the visitors the win.
“I am pleased that the players were able to reverse the situation following our discussion at half-time,” said Cuadrat. “They understood what we needed to do differently during the second half, and we scored very quickly after the restart.
“Of course, Laos being reduced to 10 players worked in our favour. We had more space, while their players began to tire. I thought we produced a second-half performance that allowed us to secure the three points.
“Most importantly, I am happy that we changed our fortunes.”
The win was the Philippines’ first of the tournament after a 4-1 loss against Myanmar last week and reignites the five-times semi-finalists hopes of a place in the last four ahead of their encounter with Group B leaders Thailand on Tuesday.
“Until this match, we had been very unfortunate during several important moments,” said Cuadrat. “The victory is a good reward for the squad, and we must now focus on our next match, which is only three days away.”
The loss was Laos’ third in a row and leaves Vladic Grujić unable to pick up enough points to secure a finish in the top two positions in the standings.
“It is very difficult for me to speak about this match,” said Grujić, whose team had previously lost to Thailand and Malaysia. “It was a similar situation to our game against Thailand, with a red card coming at around the same stage of the match.
“We were leading 1-0 when the sending-off occurred, and it disrupted everything we had planned. Of course, once the Philippines had an extra player, it became very difficult for us to defend for the remainder of the match.
“We still created some opportunities, but we were unable to score another goal.”
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