BRING IT ON!: Filipinas ready for Korean challenge

After a razor-thin setback to powerhouse Australia, the national team is convinced that it has what it takes to challenge fellow Asian South Korea in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso lauded the performance of the Filipinas against the Matildas, saying that their 0-1 loss is way better than the 0-8 setback they absorbed during the AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2023.

“Keeping the scoreline low - that’s credit to all the hard work we’ve put in not just over the past month, but over the last six months to a year,” said Torcaso, whose wards are at the third spot with a -1 goal difference in Group A of this event that serves as a gateway to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“It is a bit disappointing but we can’t dwell on it. We need to keep moving forward. While we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, this is an opportunity for us to learn and grow for the next few games.”

Filipinas goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel agrees, saying what is important now is to carry the momentum of their second-half performance against the Matildas and bring it over to their next match against South Korea.

“I think it makes (the next games) more important. We got to come away with some wins in the next couple of games so we can get ourselves out of the group,” McDaniel said.

“We just have to put our heads down, think about this game for tonight, let it go and put it on the review and get going against South Korea.”

“We’re getting in and around the areas and the more we grow into the tournament, the more we control these moments, the more we’ll benefit from it. We controlled the situation. That was the most important thing.”

The Filipinas must win their next match against South Korea on Thursday at 11 a.m. (Manila time) at the Robina Stadium in Robina, Australia to keep their chances of advancing to the quarterfinals alive.

A win over the South Koreans will greatly boost the Filipinas’ morale as they aim for one of the top two spots in Group A to enter the quarterfinals.

They need at least a semifinal finish or win a play-in match to book their slot in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

But pulling off a victory over South Korea, the 2022 Asian Cup runners up, will be easier said than done after their 3-0 victory over Iran last Monday at the Cbus Super Stadium.

South Korea coach Shin Sang Woo said while it was a convincing win, he wanted his side to score more goals in their redemption tour.

“I’d like to thank all my players as we achieved victory, but we need to be more clinical, and I am a bit disappointed today. Our players were quite nervous (in the opening stages), because this was our first match,” Shin said.

“Iran played with six defenders so we needed to stretch the play more and attack the half-spaces more (and I told them this at half-time). The time we have for preparation is really short during such tournaments, so we need to focus on video analysis meetings (and use them to improve).”

On paper, South Korea is the favorite heading into its match after winning its last five games against the Philippines. The last time they collide was at a friendly match in 2024, where the Koreans escaped with a 2-1 home win at the Icheon City Stadium.