TARLAC, Philippines -- Philippines may have endured a narrow 1-0 defeat to Thailand on Tuesday, but midfielder Sandro Reyes believes that the performance showed the youth-laden squad taking an important step forward at the right time.
After an underwhelming loss against Myanmar and a come-from-behind win over ten-man Laos, the Filipinos finally went toe-to-toe with the tournament's record seven-time champions Thailand for most of the match -- before Waris Choolthong broke Philippines' hearts with an 84th-minute winner.
For Reyes, the result may have hurt, but the reaction from the squad was what mattered most.
"We played the game that we needed to," Reyes told ESPN.
"The important thing was to have a reaction -- for our fans, for ourselves, for the team -- because obviously what happened in our previous performances last week was unacceptable."
Despite the heartbreaking finish, Reyes felt the squad could leave New Clark City Stadium with their heads held high, knowing they are still alive in the tournament -- albeit on a lifeline.
"Today we can live with the result. We can live with our performance," Reyes said.
"We can look at ourselves in the mirror and say we gave everything and we played the way we had to."
The midfielder pointed to the team's mentality as the biggest area of growth.
After admitting Philippines perhaps had the wrong mentality in the early stages of the tournament, Reyes said the squad matured at the right time -- against one of Southeast Asia's perennial powerhouses.
"100% it was the attitude," Reyes said. "In the first game we were naïve, maybe overconfident.
"We didn't realize that, in this tournament, you can't take it easy against any opponent."
"But we showed our professionalism, our fight, our focus and our sharpness, and it showed on the field. We can be proud of ourselves."
Still, Reyes acknowledged that competing with teams like Thailand requires near-perfect execution, having been part of the Philippines squad that reached the semifinals two years ago, won the first leg 2-1 in Manila, and pushed the War Elephants to the limit in the return encounter.
"In the end, one mistake and the quality of Thailand kills you. That's what they do," he said.
"Against a good team, you have to stay focused for 90 minutes. We were almost there, but almost wasn't enough."
He also believed Philippines had chances to earn more from the match.
"Against these teams, you have to take your chances as well," Reyes said. "We were unlucky not to score. These tight games are decided by small details."
Now, Philippines turn their attention to their decisive Group B finale against Malaysia, with their hopes of reaching the knockout stage still alive.
However, only a convincing victory over Harimau Malaya -- coupled with favorable results elsewhere in the group -- will send them through to the semifinals.
"We have nothing to lose now," Reyes said. "We'll go there and play our normal game. We're not going to get crazy because Malaysia is also a good team that can punish us."
"We'll obviously have to be a bit more offensive but, at the same time, stay focused, stay professional and keep fighting."
For Reyes, the Thailand match showed how much the young squad has grown over the course of three matches. The next challenge, however, is proving those lessons can translate into the result Philippines need most.
"We're just happy to still be alive in the tournament," Reyes added.
"Now it's about giving everything one more time."
