At long last, the Philippine Women’s National Football Team recorded its first-ever victory over Thailand in a 1-0 upset in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022, Friday evening at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, India.
Filipina forward Chandler McDaniel’s speculative effort in the 81st minute was fumbled into the net by Thai goalkeeper Waraporn Boonsing, which set the Philippines on its way towards a deserved victory.
Coach Alen Stajcic’s wards had a strong start to the game with newcomer Katrina Guillou being the country’s most potent attacker. The 28-year-old Guillou had a goal disallowed for offside and then saw another attempt denied by the crossbar.
Fellow forward Quinley Quezada had a long-range effort easily caught by Boonsing while defender Hali Long missed a good opportunity to break the deadlock from a set-piece play.
Come the second half, the Thais were able to assert themselves more but the Filipinas found gaps in their backline. Quezada had another attempt straight at Boonsing and then McDaniel skied her shot under pressure.
However, everything changed nine minutes from time when McDaniel’s sniff at goal found itself across the line thanks to Boonsing’s poor handling and eventually a historic win for the Philippines.
“It’s a massive win,” said Stajcic after the match. “We are currently second in our group. Being second obviously gives you a lot of confidence and most importantly three points on the board… It’s a big weight off the shoulders of the players who’ve been on this team for a long time. In that respect, it’s fantastic but ultimately come midnight tonight, we’ve got to focus”
The result leaves the Philippines with 3 points in Group B below group leaders Australia, which earlier routed Indonesia with a scoreline of 18-0.
Next up for the Philippines is a clash against powerhouse team Australia on Monday at 6:00 PM (Manila time) at the Mumbai Football Arena.
Thailand XI: W. Boonsing (GK), K. Saenkhun, P. Philawan, S. Intamee ©, N. Panyosuk, W. Phetwiset, W. Phetwiset, N. Pram-Nak, O. Waenngoen, C. Rodthong, S. Nildhamrong
Philippines XI: Randle, Long, Annis ©, C. McDaniel, Miclat, Bugay, Harrison, Madarang, Quezada, Guillou, O. McDaniel (GK).
