Shai del Campo provided a moment of pride for the Philippine Women’s National Futsal Team with a consolation goal, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a crushing 6-1 defeat against Vietnam in the semifinals of the 2024 ASEAN Women’s Futsal Championship on Tuesday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
The De La Salle University standout struck in the 24th minute, reducing the deficit to two goals for the Pinay5. It was a brief glimmer of hope in a challenging match.
“Of course, it’s a team effort,” Del Campo said after the game. “Everyone really gave it their all for that goal. I’d say it was a build-up – it started from the back, and then I saw that opening shot and I just took it.
“It gave us hope, definitely, and we wanted more. Toward halftime, Coach (Vic Hermans) reminded us to keep our confidence up and to expect a fight from the other team.”
Despite the valiant effort, Vietnam, ranked 11th in the world, displayed their dominance, much like Thailand had against the Philippines last Sunday.
Trần Thị Lan Mai led the way with a brace, scoring in the 13th and 28th minutes. Lê Thị Thanh Ngân, Nguyễn Phương Anh, Trần Thị Thu Xuân, and K’Thủa added one goal each to complete the rout.
The loss leaves the Philippines fifth in the standings with one point, but their bronze medal hopes are still alive.
The team faces a crucial final group-stage match against Indonesia tomorrow at 7 p.m. A draw would secure a rematch against Indonesia in the bronze medal game on Thursday.
“Like I said before, I think the whole team knows that the next game is really important,” said goalkeeper Samantha Hughes. “We’re all set on trying to get a tie or a win to keep on pushing for it.
“Yes, we have a lot of things to work on, but I’m 100% confident that our team will perform at its absolute best tomorrow – not just to reach the next stage but to make our country proud.”
In other matches, Vietnam and Thailand, the two most dominant teams in the tournament, will face off at 4:00 PM tomorrow in a preview of the championship final.
Meanwhile, Indonesia kept their bronze medal hopes alive with a resounding 7-0 victory over Myanmar earlier today. This result eliminated Myanmar from contention, although they will be watching closely.
A win for Indonesia over the Philippines could still secure Myanmar’s spot in the bronze medal match thanks to their superior goal difference (-11) compared to the host nation’s -12.
For the Pinay5, it’s all or nothing as they fight to keep their tournament dreams alive.
