Making history: Philippine women’s national football team qualifies for country’s first FIFA World Cup
The Philippine women’s national football team, known as the Malditas, made history by securing a ticket to the country’s first-ever FIFA World Cup game.
The Malditas defeated the higher-ranking Chinese Taipei team by a 4-3 penalty shootout in Pune, India, on Jan. 30, reported ABS-CBN News.
“The Philippine Women’s Football Team is going to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023,” The Philippine Football Federation announced on their official Twitter account after the team’s victory. “Australia, here we come!”
Forward Sarina Bolden and goalie Olivia McDaniel sealed the win after two saves by Bolden and a goal by McDaniel, according to SPIN.ph.
“There are so many people who contributed to this team along the way in the past 10 years and they all know who they are,” head coach Alen Stajcic said in a statement released on Twitter. “The players know who they are, whether it’s their family, friends or previous coaches. That’s the testament to the hard work that has been done by everyone. Hopefully we’ve helped and added value and that we’ve worked really hard as a group, but this does not happen over-night so full credit to the whole country, to the PFF and everyone who has put in these players together.”
While the victory secures the Philippines’ first World Cup, it also officializes the team’s advancement to the semis of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. You can place bets on their upcoming matches at https://asian-football.com.
“[They did] great. It brings so much pride and inspiration to witness it because I saw the joy in the athletes when the goal was scored,” Filipino Olympic weightlifting record-holder Hidilyn Diaz wrote in Tagalog on her Instagram story, as translated by Inquirer.
“I felt their love for sports and they really do the best they can,” she added. “Thank you for the good news, thank you for bringing pride to our country.”
Featured Images via @philfootball
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