By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The Philippine women’s football team faces a daunting task against Iran in its final group assignment in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup at the Gold Coast Stadium in Australia on Sunday, March 8.
Kickoff is set at 5 p.m. (Philippine time) with the Filipinas looking to snap their slump in a must-win encounter to keep their campaign hopes alive.
The top two teams group each of the three groups advance to the playoffs, with two additional sports reserved for the best third-placed finishers. Host Australia currently shares the Group A lead with South Korea with two wins, while the Nationals and Iran are at the bottom with two losses.
A victory could give the Filipinas a lifeline — potentially advancing as one of the two best third-placed teams.
Coming off a stinging 0-3 loss to South Korea a few days back, Filipinas coach Mark Torcaso said it is important to move forward and focus on what lies ahead. Prior to the loss against the Koreans, the Nationals also fell to the Aussies, 0-1.
“It’s not the result that we wanted, we want to obviously be closer and closer to the best teams (but) it is also a very good experience and learning for all our players, young and experienced,” he said during the post-match interview.
“So yes, I’m disappointed we didn’t get the result we wanted, but we cannot focus on that now. We have to focus on the next game and what we need to do against Iran,” he added.
Veteran midfielder Jacklyn Sawicki is expected to return to the field after missing their match against South Korea due to a bruised knee during training.
Goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel is also there to keep the team afloat, having nine saves so far.
Iran, meanwhile, yielded to Australia 0-4, and South Korea, 0-3, but is expected to go all out as it continues its campaign to bolster the squad, who is appearing in only its second tournament since debuting in 2022.
“It’s a very good opportunity for us to play these tough games. It helps women’s football in Iran (to develop),” said Iran head coach Marziyeh Jafari.
“Football in Iran is (still) newborn and we need to participate in these great tournaments… I think we are at a good level (but playing here), it helps us get experience and get better step by step,” she added.
Meanwhile, security is expected to be tightened for the match following the ongoing tension in the Middle East involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
In a statement posted on social media by authorities from Queensland Police Service, officers will take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of players and spectators even if there is “no intelligence of specific threats to the matches.”
