By NIKOLE JAVIER
The Philippine women’s national football team faces a rough sailing when it collides with Sam Kerr-led Australia in the second round of the AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Sunday, Oct. 29.
The world No. 44 Filipinas topped the group standings ahead of the Matildas after winning their opening games.
Both squads earned three points each following separate victories against Chinese Taipei and Iran, respectively, although the Philippines claimed the top seed after scoring four goals compared to Australia’s two.
Not only the world No. 11 Australians will play before their home crowd, but inside a bigger stadium.
Last month, the tournament body announced that the game between the Philippines and Australia has been moved to a bigger venue due to “soaring demand”.
From the Perth Rectangular Stadium, the match will be held at Optus Stadium which has a capacity of 60,000.
In their recent encounter, the Filipinas suffered a 4-nil defeat against the Matildas, who were anchored by star striker Kerr, in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, where the Philippines eventually suffered a 2-0 semifinals loss against South Korea.
Despite the tough challenge that awaits them, the Filipinas are constantly upbeat to meet and gain experience against top nations.
“I just think for us, we just wanna be brave and we wanna accept and take these challenges of playing a top side. And just give the girls the opportunity to go out there and enjoy the moment. And then whatever comes from that game comes in that game,” said Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso.
