Filipinas fight for relevance

The Philippines finds itself in a must-win situation against Myanmar Wednesday in the ASEAN Women’s Championship at the Lach Tray Stadium in Haipong, Vietnam.

A win over the Burmese in their 8:30 p.m.(Manila time) clash will give the Filipinas a spot in the semifinal and extend their reign as defending champion of this regional tournament.

The Philippines started the tournament strong after thrashing Timor-Leste, 7-0, last Thursday at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho.

But a 0-1 loss to Australia last Sunday pushed the Filipinas into this precarious situation.

Anything less than a victory means the Philippines pack up early.

Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso said they will look at the things that they did right against the Matildas and apply them against the Burmese.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a bad result. I would say that it’s something that we want to work on and obviously be better in the next game to get the win,” Torcaso said.

“As defending champions, there’s pressure. But I believe that our players took on some good pressure today, and that’s going to help them grow.”

The Filipinas will lean on Quinley Quezada and Dionesa Tolentin in terms of scoring as they have two goals each so far in the tournament.

Burmese striker Win Theingi Tun will be the woman to stop as she is currently the top scorer of the ASEAN Championship with Janista Jinantuya of Thailand with four goals each.