By MARK REY MONTEJO
The Philippine women’s football team is now in must-win situation when it battles a dangerous Myanmar side on Wednesday, Aug. 13, in the 2025 ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho, Vietnam.
Moving on from a 1-0 defeat to Australia U23 last weekend, the Filipinas need to beat the Burmese in their 8:30 p.m. duel if they are to keep their title bid alive.
The victor will secure the top seed in Group B.
With a 1-1 record, the Nationals can’t afford to drop another game since the Aussies are holding a 2-1 record following a 3-0 beating of Timor Leste.
One thing going for the Burmese is that their confidence was further boosted by 2-1 win over the Aussies.
The top two squads in each group will advance to the crossover semifinals.
Thailand and Vietnam hold the No. 1 and 2 spots, respectively, in Group A.
In the 2022 edition, the Philippines dismantled the Thais via a 3-0 victory to hoist the trophy in front of thousands fans inside the fabled Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.
Though the path gets tougher for the reigning champions, Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso still has nothing but appreciation for his wards, especially with their performance, which he hopes would be match stronger against Myanmar.
“I’m extremely proud of our players. We’ve brought in a very young group, we’ve got two 16-year-olds that have played for our country today,” said Torcaso.
“We’re extremely proud of the way they fought right to the end and I thought we should have actually pinched a draw,” he added. “We can take this as a positive step in the game against Myanmar.”
Seasoned veterans Hali Long and Olivia McDaniel are expected to be at the forefront of the Sarina Bolden-less Filipinas versus Myanmar, which aims to improve its third-place finish from the last staging.
