Kike Linares stole the spotlight for the Philippine men’s football team with clutch header to stun powerhouse Thailand, 2-1, in the first leg of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 semifinals at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on Friday night, Dec. 27.

The Fil-Spaniard defender delivered the crucial goal in stoppage time that sent shockwaves to the more than 7,000 fans as it gave the Nationals their first-ever victory over Thailand since the 1972 Jakarta Anniversary Tournament.

For a moment, it appeared the game was headed to a draw after Suphanan Bureerat scored an equalizer for Thailand in the 45^th minute, roughly 24 minutes after Sandro Reyes broke the ice for the PH squad with a goal in the 21^st minute.

The Thais even capitalized on that goal, becoming more aggressive including that left-footed strike from Peeradol Chamrasamee in the 94^th minute that went wide to the right.

Then it was  Linares who saved the day for the Nationals, giving them a morale boost as the two clash in the second leg on Monday, Dec. 30 at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.

Another victory would give a historic moment for the PH booters -- a first finals stint in this tournament -- and would arrange a championship meeting with the winner between Vietnam and Singapore.

The Vietnamese blanked Singapore, 2-0, in their other first leg collision at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore, with the second leg set on Sunday, Dec. 29, at the Viet Tri Stadium in Vietnam.

The PH booters must at least get a draw to advance, while the Thais needed to win by two goals.

The Nationals came into the match with a 1-3-0 win-draw-loss record to clinch the second seeding in Group B, allowing them a spot in the semis for the first time in six years.