Philippines U22 coach: We didn't get to the semi-finals by luck.

Coach Michael Martinez Alvarez asserted that the U22 Philippines team has sufficient strength and does not need luck to reach the semi-finals of the men's football tournament at the 33rd SEA Games.

The U22 Philippines team (in blue jerseys) displayed impressive form at the 33rd SEA Games.

"We are confident that our team has made it this far. It's not luck. It's the result of the right policies of the Philippine Football Federation and the efforts of the U22 players. Like the Vietnam U22 team, we also had the best possible preparation for the SEA Games semi-finals," Alvarez shared at the press conference on the afternoon of December 14th.

The U22 Philippines advanced to the SEA Games semi-finals as winners of Group C. They won both matches against tough opponents Indonesia and Myanmar, scoring 3 goals and conceding none. This is a very impressive achievement, considering Group C was considered the most difficult group in the men's football event at the 33rd SEA Games.

Mr. Alvarez continued: "Not only us, but the Vietnam U22 team also has good physical condition. Reaching the semi-finals, besides the tactics and personnel that were clearly demonstrated in the group stage, the mental factor will decide tomorrow's match. I don't want to talk too much about tactics; tomorrow, we will give our all on the field."

Previously, the Vietnam U22 team defeated the Philippines 2-1 in the semi-finals of the Southeast Asian U23 Championship earlier this year. Many players from both the Vietnam U22 and Philippines U22 teams today were part of that match.

The captain of the Philippines U22 team shared: "In the past, the Philippines often lost to Vietnam. But we have made tremendous progress recently and often compete on equal terms with the Vietnam U22 team in some regional tournaments. Tomorrow, we have nothing to fear from the Vietnam U22 team."

The match between Vietnam U22 and the Philippines will take place at 3:30 PM on December 15th at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok. The winning team will advance to the final, where they will face the winner of the match between host nation Thailand U22 and Malaysia.

Vietnam U22 goalkeeper's reaction ahead of SEA Games 33 semi-final: Goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien said that he and the Vietnam U22 team highly appreciate their opponent, the Philippines U22 team, and the whole team is trying their best to train and prepare for the semi-final match at 3:30 PM on December 15th.

Source: https://znews.vn/hlv-u22-philippines-chung-toi-vao-ban-ket-khong-phai-an-may-post1611391.html