The Philippines celebrates after Kike Linares scores the winning goal against Thailand in the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Championship semifinals, December 27, 2024 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. PFF-PMNFT

MANILA -- After a series of heartbreaking results in the group stage, the breaks of the game finally went the way of the Philippines in the opening leg of the 2024 ASEAN Championship semifinals.

Against holders Thailand, the Filipinos secured a stunning 2-1 triumph courtesy of a late goal by Kike Linares, after they had survived a wave of attempts from the visiting War Elephants at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on Friday night.

Roared on by the home crowd, the Philippine men's national team opened the scoring in the 21st minute through Sandro Reyes, only to give up the equalizer at the stroke of halftime. But they showed no quit, and a late free kick led to Linares' go-ahead goal.

READ: PH men write new chapter in football history with stunning win vs. Thailand

For Reyes, who earned Man of the Match honors, the lessons they learned in the group stage served them well against Thailand -- a team that they have yet to beat in the tournament.

"We knew how to suffer. We suffered the entire group stage, and I think the group stage was a perfect practice for today, because we suffered a lot," said Reyes.

The group stage had been a grind for the Filipinos, as they registered three straight draws against Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. The result against Vietnam was particularly painful: veteran Jarvey Gayoso gave them a well-deserved lead in the 68th minute, only for Doãn Ngọc Tân to score deep into stoppage time and prevent the Philippines from gaining full points.

A 1-0 win against Indonesia in their final group stage game sent the Philippines to the semis, but they did not forget how they had to battle through in their earlier assignments.

"Of course, against Vietnam, [they scored] in the last second. Today, it was in our side. The ball fell in our side. Of course, we also deserved it," said Philippines coach Albert Capellas. "I always believe that at the end, you get what you deserve, and I think today we deserve a lot of things."

READ: Coach hails fighting spirit of PH players in historic win vs. Thailand

"We found a way to get out from all of those hurdles," said Reyes of their campaign in the group stage. "We went through hell and we came out, and today [was] the exact same thing."

"We went through hell at the end of the first half until the end of the game. Thailand had many chances -- they were putting pressure on us. We couldn't keep the ball, it was very difficult. We were very tired. But we scored the last-minute goal. There's not much I can say. The fans were amazing. They were with us until the end," he added.

The win was especially meaningful for Reyes, who has grown up watching the Philippines fall short against Thailand time and again. Before Friday, the Filipinos had never beaten the War Elephants in the ASEAN Championship; their last win against the regional powerhouse came 52 years ago.

That he played a huge role in the victory is a boost of confidence for Reyes, who at just 21 years old is already establishing himself as one of the team's most influential players.

"Thailand was always the team to beat, they were always the strongest team in Southeast Asia for so long," he said. "[This] shows how far we've come, where we are right now."

Their focus is now on the second leg, set for Monday in Bangkok, with Capellas putting his full trust in his players to claim another favorable result and advance to the finals of the 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup for the first time ever.

"I'm sure these players will work as warriors to make it happen. I don't have any doubt," he said.

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