The Philippines national football team's 2–0 win against Vietnam in the group stage of the 2010 AFF Championship, also dubbed as the Miracle in Hanoi is a noted match which is widely regarded as the start of the Philippines' resurgence in football in the 2010s. The win resulted to the Philippines' first semifinals qualification in the tournament's history. Prior to the match the Philippines were known for being among the weakest sides in Asian football. The match was held at the Mỹ Đình National Stadium in Hanoi. Background The Philippines prior to the 2010s were regarded as one of the weakest national teams in Asia. The Philippines had to qualify for the tournament proper of the 2010 AFF Championship, also known as the Suzuki Cup for sponsorship reasons. Along with Laos, the Philippines clinched the two contested berths for the 2010 AFF Championship in the qualifiers. Ian Araneta's hat trick in a 5–0 win over Timor-Leste was a significant factor in securing the Philippines' qualification to the tournament proper, since they, Laos, and Cambodia were tied in points. Dan Palami became involved as the national team's manager and main sponsor in December 2009, with the Philippine Football Federation allowing Palami to have autonomy over its management. Palami was in charge of recruiting players and hiring the coach of the team. Des Bulpin was hired as head coach shortly after Palami's entry but Bulpin was replaced by Simon McMenemy. Palami gathered both local-based players and foreigners of Filipino descent alike to form a squad and focused on the team's defense. He also had to fund the team since the only major private sponsor prior to the 2010 AFF Championship is sportwear outfitter Mizuno. The Philippines' squad for the 2010 AFF Championship had seven players which were part of the national team that played at the 2004 edition of the same tournament. These were Ian Araneta, Aly Borromeo, Emelio Caligdong, Roel Gener, Anton del Rosario, Peter Jaugan and Chris Greatwich. Pre-match Entering the group stage, three-time champions Singapore and defending champions and hosts Vietnam were favored to advance to the semifinals. The Philippines started their campaign with a 1–1 draw with Singapore through an injury-time goal from Chris Greatwich. This result ended the Philippines' eleven-match losing streak to Singapore, which dates back to the former's heavy 0–5 loss at the 1972 President's Cup in South Korea. Vietnam routed Myanmar with seven goals,