Filipinas ‘well-equipped’ to clinch World Cup berth vs Uzbekistan

MANILA, Philippines – It all comes down to one last match as the Filipinas seek a return trip to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The Philippines can book its ticket to the World Cup to be hosted by Brazil next year with a win over Uzbekistan in their play-in match in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup at the Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland, Australia, on Thursday, March 19. 

“Our girls have done a fantastic job getting ourselves to this point, to be in contention to qualify for a World Cup again,” said Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso. 

“I think our players are well-equipped to deal with a big match like this, but more importantly, they’re also supportive of every single player and staff.” 

Judging by the result of their matches in the Asian Cup, the Philippines and Uzbekistan are on equal footing.

Both squads won only one game each in the group stage, where they posted the same -2 goal difference, and they were dominated by their respective opponents in the quarterfinals, with the Philippines absorbing a 7-0 beating from Japan and Uzbekistan getting a 6-0 mauling from South Korea.

Also, the friendly match between the Filipinas and the Uzbeks at the Rizal Memorial Stadium last October ended in a 2-2 draw.

But if the world No. 40 Philippines has one edge, it is its World Cup experience, having qualified for the global showdown for the first time in the 2023 edition under former head coach Alen Stajcic. 

Ranked 50th in the world, Uzbekistan is shooting for its maiden World Cup appearance. 

“We’re really determined to make sure that we go again. We’ve got people that have experienced what the World Cup is about and they’re the people that we want to try to bring back to the World Cup but also there’s a number of players and staff that really want to get to the World Cup,” said Torcaso. 

The Filipinas are expected to parade a full-strength lineup against Uzbekistan after sitting out goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel against Japan. – Rappler.com