The national team will have a lot of things to work on following its 0-1 loss to Australia in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup late Sunday at the Perth Stadium in Australia.

Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso said while they were not able to get the result they wanted, they still learned some valuable lessons that they will need as they shift their focus towards their next games in Group A of this prestigious continental tournament.

Chelsea FC star striker Sam Kerr struck the hearts of the Filipinas, delivering the lone goal with a beautiful header in the 14th minute to hep the Matildas dictate the tempo the rest of the way for their first win that gave them three points in Group A of the team standings.

Emily van Egmond should have made it 2-0 minutes later, but the Leicester midfielder skied a free header over the bar.

A second goal seemed imminent and it appeared to have come from Hayley Raso, but her strike was ruled offside by the video referee and Australia went into the break with only a slender lead.

But Kerr, who is regarded as one of the best female players in the world right now, had nothing but praises for the resilience and fighting mentality that the Filipinas displayed throughout the match.

After all, the Filipinas were able to somehow keep up, unlike in their previous meeting three years ago in which they crushed them, 8-0.

“I thought they defended well, I think they had a good game plan obviously," said Kerr, who scored her 70th international goal for the Matildas.

"I think Asian football has improved in the Philippines. They’re one of those teams that’s definitely improving.”

Still, for Torcaso, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow.

“We’re disappointed that we lost a game. But, for us, it was all about fighting until the end, in every single game. I think you saw that today,” said Torcaso, whose side is determined to secure one of the six slots in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil next year after winning a historic gold medal in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games last December.

“I’m pleased that the team did that. We didn’t get the outcome we wanted but it's good for us to keep going in the next two games.”

Filipinas goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel said she hopes that they can display more intensity and momentum in the second half of their upcoming games.

“As well as we did, I think we’re still unhappy with the result. I mean, a loss is still a loss and we wanted to come away with something, whether a tie or a win,” McDaniel said.

“I’m just happy with the work the girls put in. The last 45 minutes, we didn’t concede and that’s all I care about. We’re just going to look to get better each day.”

For the Filipinas to advance, they must overcome South Korea at the Robina Stadium, in Robina, Australia on Thursday at 11 a.m. (Manila time) before facing Iran on Sunday at 5 p.m. at the same venue.

A top two finish in Group A or being one of the best third-placed teams in the tournament will give the Filipinas a spot in the quarterfinals. All in all, they need to at least reach the semifinals to earn an outright berth in the biggest women’s football tournament in the world.

Kerr, however, said, they are truly determined to win the title.

"Everyone comes here to win, but we're just taking it one game at a time," said Kerr of their chances of winning the title.