WELLINGTON — Alen Stajcic did not run out of superlatives for the Philippine Women’s National Football Team after its groundbreaking 1-0 win over the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup host, New Zealand, at the Regional Wellington Stadium.
The Filipinas secured a lifeline to advance out of Group A thanks to Sarina Bolden’s 24th-minute header off a Sara Eggesvik assist, as well as another fantastic performance from goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel.
The Australian mentor had a stoic demeanor throughout the game. He directed proceedings from the sidelines and ensured that the Filipinas managed to hold on amidst the continuous pressure from the Football Ferns in the final stretch of the match. But he let his emotions out once the full-time whistle blew.
“Of course, New Zealand had three or four unbelievable chances, and the VAR call and the inside of the post, and if it was a true reflection of a football match, they deserved something in the game,” said Stajcic.
“But as I said, the unity, work rate, and heart from the team were special, and we had some luck, but we also earned our luck, and for that, it’s just a special moment in the history of the Philippines team sport,” the former Matildas head coach continued.
“I don’t know if there’s been a bigger win. Obviously, (Manny) Pacquiao individually, but for team sport, it would have to be one of the best achievements in the history of the country.”
To put things into context, the Filipinas’ vanquished foes, the Football Ferns, have made it into six World Cups but only finally won in their 16th appearance in the tournament — the 1-0 victory over Norway here in Auckland last Thursday.
South Korea, who defeated the Philippines in the semifinals of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, only managed to get its first victory — a 2-1 win against Spain in the group stage of the 2015 edition — in its sixth appearance and second World Cup campaign.
On the other hand, Gilas Pilipinas — the Philippine men’s national basketball team — have made the FIBA World Cup in the last two cycles.
However, Gilas’ two wins during that time — a victory over lowly Senegal in 2014.
“Yeah, look, it’s pretty raw. It was very emotional out on the pitch, just seeing just about everyone, every staff member, every player crying, and they spilled their tears on me, so if you saw any of that on there, it’s probably theirs, but it was emotional for all of us. It’s unbelievable,” said the former Central Coast Mariners head coach.
“So to think that we’ve done it in our second match in our first World Cup, and you can’t really appreciate how far we’ve come back from the pack compared to where those countries were in terms of their football history, their culture, their investment in women’s football.”
Coming from such a high, the Filipinas’ camp will have to refocus and prepare well for Norway, which has yet to win a match in its campaign. The Norwegians will be favorites to get all three points despite drawing blanks against New Zealand and Switzerland in their first two matches.
A win will allow the Philippines to advance out of Group A without any complication, while a draw will leave the country reliant on other results. On the other hand, a loss eliminates the Filipinas from contention. With so much at stake, Stajcic knows his squad needs to put this major result behind them sooner rather than later.
“Our team has been the same for the last 18 months. You win, lose, or draw. We celebrate or cry till midnight, and then the next day is a new day. I know that we’ll get to see some family members tonight and enjoy that special moment and celebrate,” he said.
“But tomorrow it’s back to work. The job’s not done. It’s very important that we switch back into competition mode and think about what we have to do in the last game to try and squeeze out of this group.”
