Despite its defeat to powerhouse Norway, the Philippine women’s national football team’s debut in the FIFA Women’s World Cup is nothing short of impressive.
In fact, the Filipinas drew praise from Sen. Pia Cayetano and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.
“The phenomenal run of the Filipinas in the FIFA Women’s World Cup ends today, but the team’s journey to reach greater heights has just started,” said Cayetano, head of Filipino delegates to the Cup, in a statement.
“I am immensely proud of the Filipinas.”
From being Group A’s lowest-ranked national squad at No. 46, the Filipinas have earned respect and recognition worldwide due to their historic first goal and first win over New Zealand.
They lost to Norway 6-0 and missed the trip to the round of 16, but this did not diminish the Filipinas’ feat.
“Good job!” was Tolentino’s reaction after watching the live coverage of the Philippines-Norway match on Sunday afternoon in Tagaytay.
“Qualifying in the World Cup is historic and an accomplishment in itself,” Tolentino said. “Scoring a goal and beating the co-host [New Zealand, 1-0] made the campaign even more historic and worth remembering.”
Tolentino also expressed optimism about a strong performance by the Filipinas in the Hangzhou 19th Asian Games in September.
“The Filipinas showed that they could compete on the world stage, and in turn, the world took notice of how strong Filipinos could become in football,” he said.
“And the campaign proves we can still catch up in the Asian Games with an intact lineup.”
The Asian Games are set for September 23 to October 8.
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