Olympic shifts focus to Philippines match

Yahya Humaidan

The national under-23 football team resumed its training preparations for the "crucial" match against the Philippines on Thursday, the day after tomorrow, in the third round of Group C at the 20th Asian Games "Aichi-Nagoya 2026" in Japan.

The "Blue" team's coach, Spain's David Digne, was forced to conduct a full training session for players who did not participate in the previous match, which the team lost 0-2 to Uzbekistan in the second round, while carrying out recovery drills for those who played in order to restore their physical fitness.

The Olympic team still has a chance to advance to the quarterfinals by defeating the Philippines and hoping for a loss by Vietnam against Uzbekistan, who have already secured their qualification.

The "Blue" team currently sits in third place with one point, while Uzbekistan leads the standings and has already qualified. Vietnam is in second place with four points, and the Philippines, with no points, have officially been eliminated from the competition.

Coach Digne conducted a comprehensive review of the team's match against Uzbekistan, urging the players to make up for lost opportunities and focus on the most important match at this stage, against the Philippines, to secure a victory and keep their qualification hopes alive.

The "Blue" team had drawn 1-1 with Vietnam in their first match.