TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Filipino U-23 national team player Javier Mariona expressed pride in how his team challenged Indonesia during their match at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, on Friday, July 18, 2025.
In the second Group A match of the 2025 AFF U-23 Cup, the Philippines gave a strong fight, limiting Indonesia to a narrow 1-0 victory. The host team managed to score just once from 17 attempts.
Mariona said the Philippines were able to match Indonesia's performance on the field. "I don't think anyone expected us to come here and give them such a tough fight, and we only conceded one goal. And honestly, we could have scored a goal," he said after the match at SUGBK.
Indonesia’s only goal came from an own goal by Filipino defender Jaime Rosquillo in the 23rd minute. Wearing jersey number 14, Rosquillo misjudged the trajectory of a long throw-in by Robi Darwis, resulting in the ball going into his own net.
Throughout the match, the Young Garudas struggled to find the back of the net, largely due to the standout performance of 18-year-old Filipino goalkeeper Nicholas Guimaraes. Despite facing seven on-target shots from Jens Raven and his teammates, Guimaraes managed to block every one of them. He currently plays for Juntendo University in Japan.
"Indonesia is a great opponent. We worked hard, they worked harder, so they went home with three points," said Mariona, who assisted a goal in their 2-0 win over Malaysia last Wednesday.
Following the loss, the Philippines must win their final group-stage match against Brunei Darussalam at the Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium in Bekasi on Monday night, July 18, in order to keep their hopes of reaching the semifinals alive.
Looking ahead to the crucial game, Mariona said the team will work on their weaknesses from the Indonesia match.
"This is an opportunity for us to take the positive aspects from the match against Indonesia. There are many things that we need to continue to improve, but there are also good things from us," said the 20-year-old midfielder.
"This match shows we already have something to compete with strong teams. We can still fight for the things they have that we don’t. So once again, congratulations to Indonesia," he added.
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