At A Glance
- The Philippine men's national football team absorbed a stinging 4-1 defeat against Myanmar in the opener of the 2026 ASEAN Championship (Hyundai Cup) campaign at the New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac on a rainy Tuesday evening, July 28.
PMNFT (PFF)
The Philippine men’s national football team absorbed a stinging 4-1 defeat against Myanmar in the opener of the 2026 ASEAN Championship (Hyundai Cup) campaign at the New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac on a rainy Tuesday evening, July 28.
The Burmese side struck an early goal with Kyaw Min Oo scoring in the seventh minute to give his team the momentum and the deny the local charge.
The Filipinos suffered their first defeat in the regional joust, while Myanmar is at third spot with a 1-1 record, behind Group B leaders Malaysia (2-0) and Thailand (1-0).
It was hardly the result the host had hoped for, especially after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) a day earlier, expressed high hopes for the continued rise of Philippine football.
Apart from win, Myanmar also avenged its 5-1 loss to the Philippines after bowing in their friendlies at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila last month.
Moving on from its dismal outing, the national team eyes a bounce back when it takes on fellow winless and host Laos (0-2) on Saturday, Aug. 1, at New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane.
“The first game of the PMNFT came to a close. The fight and spirit of the team continue. Back to the drawing board as we look to bounce back stronger!” the PMNFT wrote on its social media post.
Trailing 0-1, the Philippine crew tried to level the score, but Myanmar struck again in the 28th minute through eventual Player of the Match Than Paing’s first goal to double its advantage heading into the break.
The Nationals finally broke through in the 68th minute courtesy of Jarvey Gayoso off a pass from teammate Javier Mariona.
Unfortunately, their comeback bid quickly fizzled as the visitors scored twice — Win Naing Tun (81’) and Paing (83’) — in a span of two minutes.