The Philippine National Men’s Floorball team passed its first real acid test at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games—and did so with authority—outlasting regional rival Singapore, 6–4, to all but book a ticket to the gold-medal match.
The Filipinos wasted no time setting the tone. Barely a minute into the opener, Kim Varga struck first, finishing a crisp setup from Simon Sicat-Laraño. Ten minutes later, Varga turned playmaker, feeding Mattiece Myllyperkio for a 2–0 cushion.
Singapore finally found daylight late in the first period when Wei Foo converted off an Irwan Shaiful assist—moments before Shaiful was sent to the box for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The Philippines came out firing again in the second. Laraño, pulling the strings all night, set up Ludvig Hemmingberg for the third goal, then promptly made it 4–1 himself minutes later. Singapore answered through Hong Lim, but Myllyperkio struck again before the buzzer to restore breathing room at 5–2.
The Lions refused to fold, clawing back with goals from Ethan Wong and Lim across the second and third periods to trim the gap to 5–4. That, however, was as close as it would get.
With less than nine minutes left, Varga slammed the door shut, burying his second goal of the night to seal the win and send the Filipinos roaring.
The victory kept the Philippines unbeaten after three games, following a 37–0 demolition of Laos and a 9–2 rout of Malaysia—results befitting a World Championship qualifier flexing its muscle.
Next up is host Thailand, also undefeated. Should the Thais dispatch Singapore later Tuesday, their clash with the Philippines won’t just be another group game—it’ll be a full dress rehearsal for the gold-medal showdown.
