Philippines coach Carles Cuadrat is cautiously optimistic his team can rebound from their opening ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ 2026 defeat to Myanmar when they take on Laos in Vientiane in Group B on Saturday.
The five-times semi-finalists slipped to a 4-1 loss to Jørn Andersen’s side in front of their own fans in Clark on Tuesday and Cuadrat is determined to turn his team’s form around in a bid to boost their hopes of a place in the next round.
“Losing 4-1 at home was a very disappointing result,” said the Spanish coach. “We have reviewed the footage and are trying to understand what we must do differently to be more competitive.
“The positive thing is that the matches are very close together. Only three days after that defeat, we have another opportunity to secure three points, and that is what we are aiming to do.”
The Philippines reached the semi-finals in the 2024 edition of the competition despite a slow start in the group phase and Cuadrat believes his team can make amends for their loss to Myanmar.
“We want to produce a good performance, understand what the match requires and try to win,” he said. “A victory would give us three points from two matches. In the previous tournament, we had only two points after our opening two games.
“One victory can therefore change the situation significantly. We also remember that the match here in Laos in 2024 ended 1-1. We know Laos will be difficult opponents and have great respect for them, but our objective is to secure the three points.”
The Philippines will be facing a Laos side that has lost both of their opening fixtures, following up a 5-0 defeat against Thailand with a 4-0 loss to Malaysia, and Vladica Grujić knows his players will face another test on Saturday.
“It is not easy to remain positive after two defeats, but we have to be realistic and consider the strength of the opponents we faced in our opening games,” he said. “We now face the Philippines at home. We will fight and do everything possible to make our supporters happy.
“We lost our opening two matches, and we now want to secure some points in front of our supporters. Despite those results, the players remain in a good state mentally. We will see tomorrow how that is reflected in the performance.
“People also have to understand that it is not easy to defeat teams ranked around 50 places above us. However, anything can happen in football.” – aseanutdfc.com
Quick turnaround gives early hope for redemption, says Philippines’ Cuadrat
