Coach Alen Stajcic maintained that there is nothing to be ashamed of despite the Filipinas’ 6-0 defeat to the mighty Norwegian squad in their final group match in the FIFA Women’s World Cup at Eden Park in Auckland.
Norway, powered by Sophie Roman Haug’s hat trick, ended the Filipinas’ historic campaign in the Cup in front of 34,697 spectators.
“Today, we were outclassed by a better opponent,” Philippines coach Alen Stajcic said. “That’s how it goes in football sometimes.”
But they battled a powerhouse ranked 12th in the world. There is no reason to be ashamed of that, said Stajcic.
“I’m proud of the heart and spirit of our team. They fought to the end; they fought to the death. And from that perspective, it’s been an amazing World Cup,” he said.
“The players have punched so far above their weight. They’ve delivered an amazing memory and history to Philippine football, and one that will go down into the annals of Philippine sporting history.”
The Philippines entered its first ever World Cup tournament as a heavy underdog. But the Filipinas showed they are capable against world No. 20 Switzerland before pulling the rug from underneath world No. 26 New Zealand last week.
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