When Philippines suffered a humbling 4-1 defeat to Myanmar in their ASEAN Championship opener on Tuesday, Jarvey Gayoso was one of the few players already looking beyond the disappointment.
Speaking after the loss at New Clark City Stadium, the forward initially challenged his teammates to embrace the setback rather than be defined by it -- believing it could become a turning point in their campaign.
"It's hard to accept," Gayoso said. "I think for the entire team that we didn't play to the standards that we wanted and we expected from ourselves and from each other. But it's a test of character."
Four days later, those words appeared to resonate around the team.
Despite falling behind early against a Laos side that played with ten men from the 14th minute after Phetdavanh Somsanid was sent off, Philippines responded with four unanswered goals to secure a 4-1 victory and breathe new life into their tournament hopes.
While the result eased the pressure after the opening defeat, Gayoso -- who scored Philippines' third goal with a 60th-minute penalty -- insisted the performance was still far from the level the team expects of itself.
"We are not yet to the standard that we want to perform in," Gayoso told ESPN. "But we showed character in our second-half performance."
That resilience, he believes, was born out of the painful lessons learned against Myanmar.
"We needed the wake-up call," Gayoso added. "We need to remind ourselves that we are good enough to play our way."
The victory lifts Philippines onto three points after two matches, keeping them firmly in contention ahead of a crucial meeting with record seven-time champions Thailand on Tuesday back at home.
Whether the comeback against Laos marks the true start of Philippines' campaign will ultimately be determined against tougher opposition.
But if Gayoso is right, the opening defeat to Myanmar may ultimately prove to be less a setback than the turning point that refocused the team when it mattered most.
