Filipinas battle Uzbeks for World Cup slot
The Filipinas faced three tough countries representing shots to make the semifinals of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup outright, all resulting in defeats.
But coach Mark Torcaso believes that having faced them during the course of the continental tournament may bode well for the Philippine women’s football team, which will aim for a return trip to the Fifa Women’s World Cup on Thursday against Uzbekistan.
“We know it’s gonna be a tough game,” Torcaso said ahead of the play-in match in Gold Coast, Australia. “[But] every game we’ve played in this tournament has been tough.”
Kickoff is at 11 a.m. Philippine time as the Filipinas see action one final time in the Asian Cup, despite being eliminated from contention in the quarterfinals by powerhouse Japan.
Japan battered the Philippines, 7-0, adding another setback against one of Asia’s top women’s football nations.
In the opener, the Filipinas narrowly lost to host Australia, 1-0, before falling to South Korea, 3-0, both in the group stage.
‘Well-equipped’
Torcaso has always noted how the Filipinas made a good account of themselves in those games, which he hopes would be beneficial against the Uzbek squad.
“Australia’s in the [Asian Cup] Final, and we played them in the first game and we held them to one-nil,” Torcaso said. “South Korea and Japan are playing in the semifinal, so we’re well-equipped to play the best teams.
“We’re really excited to play against Uzbekistan, and we believe it will be a tough game,” he added. “[But] our girls are mentally-ready for this as well.”
The two sides will face off for the first time since an October friendly, when they settled for a 2-2 tie at Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The Filipinas actually led, 2-0, on goals from Chandler McDaniel and Meryll Serrano, but Uzbekistan’s Diyorakhon Khabibullaeva fired two goals to force a draw.
Khabibullaeva already has one goal in the Asian Cup, which came against Bangladesh in the group stage.
