The Philippines needed a full 47 minutes to look like the team it was supposed to be against Laos. Once it did, the scoreline stopped being close.
The Filipinos escaped a rocky start to beat Laos 4-1 at the New Laos National Stadium in Vientiane on Saturday to get their first win in the 2026 ASEAN Hyundai Cup.
A Shaky Start
Laos struck first after Damoth Thongkhamsavath beat goalkeeper Quincy Kammeraad with a long-range effort in just the seventh minute. That lead held all the way to the break even after the hosts were reduced to ten men in the 14th minute when defender Phetdavanh Somsanid was sent off with a straight red.
A numbers advantage should have made things easier for the Philippines but it didn’t—at least not immediately. Coach Carles Cuadrat had shuffled his system into a 4-3-3, a switch from the 4-5-1 that got torched in a 4-1 loss to Myanmar the previous Tuesday, and brought in Christian Rontini, Adrian Ugelvik and John Lucero across the back line for Scott Woods, Noah Leddel and Santiago Rublico, with Gavin Muens and Kenji Nishioka also starting in midfield in place of Oskari Kekkonen and Pocholo Bugas.
Unsurprisingly, the first 45 minutes against Laos played out like a team still figuring out things out. Attempts from Jarvey Gayoso, Lucero, Daisuke Sato, and Cole Mrowka all came and went without finding the target, and Laos’ ten men held firm.
Flood Gates Open for the Philippines
The Philippines finally snapped out of their funk in the second half. Lucero leveled things just two minutes into the second half, finishing off a Woods pass to make it 1-1 in the 47th minute. Five minutes later, the Filipinos went ahead after Mrowka’s effort took a deflection off Laos defender Viengxay Sydavong and looped in for an own goal.
Gayoso made it 3-1 in the 60th minute, calmly slotting home a penalty for his sixth international goal, before Sato put the result well out of reach in the 88th, heading in a Nishioka set piece to close the scoring at 4-1.
What It Means
The win gets the Philippines its first points of the tournament and keeps its semifinal hopes alive after the opening-match defeat to Myanmar. Laos, meanwhile, remain winless through three matches, having also fallen by scoreless margins to Thailand and Malaysia.
Group B’s picture is still murky, and the Philippines will be watching Saturday’s later kickoff between Thailand and Malaysia with real interest as a draw there would help their goal-difference math after the damage done in the Myanmar loss. Either way, the Filipinos don’t have long to wait to find out where they stand. They’re back in action on August 4 against Thailand at New Clark City Stadium
