A theme song from the hit Taiwanese series “Meteor Garden” was played during a friendly football match between Philippines and Taiwan at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on Tuesday, June 3.
A video posted by ABS-CBN on social media captured the moment boy group F4‘s 2002 hit “Jue Bu Neng Shi Qu Ni” (Can’t Lose You) played over the speakers during the halftime of the match between the “Filipinas” and the “Mulans.”
The Filipinas refer to the Philippine women’s national football team, while the Mulans represent the women’s national team of Taiwan (Chinese Taipei).
The match served as a prelude to the upcoming 2026 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, with the Philippines losing to Taiwan, 1-0.
The loss was partly attributed to the absence of several veteran Filipinas players, including top scorers Sarina Bolden and Quinley Quezada, who were sidelined due to injury.
Meanwhile, a video of the “Meteor Garden” theme song playing at halftime captured the attention of many Filipinos online.
Halftime is the intermission between the two halves of a game, providing a break for players and fans alike.
“At maraming kumakanta?” an online user reacted to the clip.
“Awwww… cute naman!” another commented.
“Woah! Nostalgic! Nakaka-good vibes for the match!” a different X user said.
“This is the most Chinese Taipei vs [versus] Philippines thing to happen in football,” another X user wrote with a loudly crying emoji.
The song from “Meteor Garden” was also a favorite among Filipinos, known for its catchy English lyrics like “Oh, baby, baby, baby.”
The song served as the opening theme song for “Meteor Garden II,” the sequel to the series that introduced the character of Ye Sha (Michelle Saram).
“Jue Bu Neng Shi Qu Ni” is also a song on F4’s second studio album, “Fantasy 4ever.”
“Meteor Garden” was one of the first Asianovelas to air in the Philippines.
Based on the Japanese manga “Boys Over Flowers,” the series became a hit among Pinoys in the 2000s as viewers followed the story of Shancai and her encounters with the school’s elite and feared group of male students, the F4.
“Meteor Garden” became one of the highest-rated shows in the Philippines, sparking a massive “Meteor Garden fever” where fans imitated F4’s hairstyles and even translated their theme songs into Filipino.
ALSO READ: ‘Rest in peace, Shancai’: Pinoys mourn ‘Meteor Garden’ star Barbie Hsu’s passing | ‘Very same’: Pinoys relive ‘Meteor Garden’ memories after Kim Chiu’s tribute
