Filipina5 stay defiant vs world’s best

The Philippines vows that it will not go down without putting up a fight against tougher opponents in the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Filipina5 team captain Bella Flanigan said they will do their best to pull off a win to prove that they can keep up against the best teams in the world.

Ranked No. 63, the Filipinas opened their bid in this prestigious 16-team tourney on a sour note when they suffered a 0-6 beating from world No. 14 Poland last Friday.

The Polish started hot with Julia Basta scoring a brace in the first seven minutes to crush the host team’s morale and dictate the tempo the rest of the way.

But the 20-year-old Flanigan stressed that such humiliation in their home court will never happen again.

“We really want to show ourselves again and our values and how we are as a team. And to inspire every Filipino watching because it is in our home country and to go into the next match with a fresh slate, that’s going to be our goal,” said Flanigan, whose side is facing world No. 31 Morocco at press time. A win over the Moroccans will put the Filipina5 in a must-win position against Argentina on Thursday, where a slot in the quarterfinals will be at stake.

Co-captain Inday Tolentin agrees, saying that with hard word grit everyone has a fair shot at glory in the first Futsal Women’s World Cup.

“The ball is round and we couldn’t predict the results of the matches that we haven’t played. We will do our best to win,” Tolentin said.

“We will all continue to fight for the country and for the people who believe in us.”

Meanwhile, Spain and Colombia engage in a titanic clash in Tuesday’s featured match.

The world No. 2 Spaniards and the eighth-ranked Colombians out to show who’s the boss in Group B and grab the upper hand in the chase for tickets to the knockout rounds.

The heavyweights both lived up to their billing and took care of opening business last Saturday in the global showcase backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Football Federation.

La Roja fended off the tough stand of No. 4 Thailand, 5-2, with Laura Cordoba scoring two spectacular goals in the 16th and 18th minutes to break a 2-2 standoff and spark the three-time Euro queens to their breakaway.