The Filipinas captured the crown in their debut appearance at the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship finals.
The victory over the weekend gave the Filipinas their first-ever international title achieved from a first qualification in the AFF finals series of the 11-nation tournament. The closest placement of the Philippine team in the AFF series since 2004 was in 4th place during the 2019 edition hosted by Thailand.
The Philippine Women’s National Football Team garbed in fiery red uniforms achieved its historic feat on July 17, 2022, with a decisive win against Thailand, 3-0, in the AFF finals played at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.
https://twitter.com/philfootball/status/1548696120809132032
The Philippine squad revenged on the Thais who stopped the Filipinas from claiming Group A winner status in their group round match-up.
Two of the goals were made by Jessika Cowart (8th minute) and Katrina Guillou (20th minute) in the first half of the game while Sarina Bolden (89th minute) executed the third goal in the second half in front of more than 8,000 cheerers in the local crowd.
Journey to AFF Women’s Championship Crown
- The Philippines’ Filipinas started off its Group A round with an upset of FIFA World No. 12-ranked Matildas of Australia, 1-0, on July 4.
- The Philippine women’s team followed up with a dominance of the Lionesses of Singapore, 7-0, on July 6.
- A winning streak was established with the hometown team’s victory over Malaysia’s Tigers, 4-0, on July 8.
- The team tallied 4 wins and assured the Filipinas a semifinal slot when they defeated Indonesia, 4-1, on July 10.
- The winning streak towards Group A winner status was stopped by Thailand’s 1 goal against the Philippines on July 12.
- As the runner-up winner in Group A, the Philippine team faced Vietnam, the Group B Winner and defending champion of the AFF crown whom the Filipinas trounced, 4-0, on July 15, and sent the locals to their first-ever AFF Women’s Championship finals appearance.
“For them to get through this grueling schedule… to finish like that with so much spirit and determination is a testament to this team,” said Philippine head coach Alen Stajcic in the post-game AFF report.
“We’ve climbed a little hill tonight. We’ve conquered Southeast Asia, but I know there are big mountains ahead. It is a great hill to climb and there are bigger challenges ahead of us,” added Stajcic.
The Filipinas, previously also known as the Malditas, are set to play in their first-ever historic FIFA World Cup appearance in 2023 to be played in New Zealand and Australia.
SEND CONGRATULATIONS to the Philippine Women’s National Football Team – the 2022 AFF Women’s Championship winner – in the comments below!
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