Philippine Women’s National Football Team coach Alen Stajcic celebrated a personal milestone while guiding the Filipinas prevail 4-0 over Hong Kong in the 2024 AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament at the Hisor Central Stadium in Tajikistan.
It was the 49-year-old mentor’s 100th international match as the head coach of a national team. He coached Australia in 64 matches from 2014 to 2019, and he has now led the Philippines in 36 matches starting in 2022.
“My first match as a head coach was an interim match against Hong Kong in 2007, and the 100th is against Hong Kong again in an Olympic Games qualifier, which is really remarkable,” said Stajcic.
Against Hong Kong, the Filipinas only needed a draw to advance to the second round of the 2024 AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament. However, Sarina Bolden’s brace and a goal each from Quinley Quezada and Meryll Serrano saw them enjoy a four-goal win to end their campaign.
The Filipinas won all three matches in Group E, gaining a goal difference of plus-16 without conceding any goals. Not bad, but of course, Stajcic sees points of improvement for the team moving forward.
“I’m really pleased that we won,” said the former Central Coast Mariners manager. “I’m really pleased that we got through. I’m really pleased that we performed well as a group, and as I said, we can do a little bit better with execution in the penalty box.
“I thought we left a few goals out there. To really go to that next level, we need to be better.”
For their spotless campaign, Stajcic and the Filipinas were rewarded by earning a ticket into the next round. They will be one of the 12 teams in that phase, split into three groups of four.
The top team of each group and the best second-placer will move into the third round. The task at hand to make it to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will be tough, but the erstwhile midfielder is up for it.
“There’s no easy match in football,” said Stajcic. “Every match is different and difficult, and you have to respect your opponent. We know we’re coming up against big nations now in the next round — Australia, Japan, China, and the two Koreas, Thailand, and Vietnam.
“It’s going to be very difficult for us, and we need to be ready.”
From leading Australia in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics to qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and winning the 2022 AFF Women’s Championship with the Philippines, it has been one impressive career for Stajcic so far.
He can further add to his already impressive CV by leading the Philippines into the Paris Games in 2024, where only two nations from Asia can qualify after three qualification phases.
