Sibol closed its Naraka: Bladepoint campaign with a 2-1 victory over Hong Kong but fell short of the semifinals of the 20th Asian Games Wednesday at the Aichi Sky Expo in Japan.
The Philippines finished third in Pool B with a 1-2 record, behind Vietnam and Chinese Taipei, with only the top two teams advancing to the semifinals.
After losses to Chinese Taipei and Vietnam ended their hopes of advancing, the Filipinos bounced back against Hong Kong in their final group-stage match.
Team captain Joaquin Paclibar opened the series by defeating Mingjie Wang twice in the solo match to put the Philippines ahead, 1-0.
Hong Kong responded in the team match, with Fanny Fung Ching Wong, Yu Hin Wong and Kevin Lam beating Richard Espejo, Von Teñoso and Kenneth Perez to force a decider.
Sibol recovered in the final match to secure its lone victory of the group stage.
‘For this group stage, we’re confident that we executed what we practiced. But the teams at this level are really good, and they adapt very quickly. That’s something we still need to improve on,’ said Paclibar.
‘Qualifying through Singapore and then making it to Japan gave us proof that there are players from the Philippines who can compete at a high level. The hours we’ve put in throughout our growth have all led to this moment and we’re very grateful,’ he added.
Sibol continues its Asian Games campaign Thursday with Karl Gonzalvo competing in Puyo Puyo Champions.
Gonzalvo opens Pool A against Japan at 9:20 a.m., followed by Kazakhstan at 10 a.m.; South Korea at 10:40 a.m.; and Hong Kong at 11:20 a.m.