Match on Thursday
Women’s football
(Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium)
6 p.m. – Hong Kong vs Philippines (Manila time)
IN MONDAY’S opening salvo, the youth-laden Philippine women’s football team showed its character and big fight in saving a point against ball-dominant Uzbekistan.
Now the Filipinas need to bare their fangs more against Hong Kong (HK) — the lowest-ranked side in Group G — to crank up their drive for the quarterfinals of the 20th Asian Games in Gifu, Japan.
The Top 2 teams in Group G as well as the two best third-placers across the three groups will march into the knockout stage, and heading into match day 2, the Pinay booters share second with the Uzbeks at one point behind China (three points after its 4-0 opening shutout of HK).
While Uzbekistan faces the mighty Chinese in Thursday’s curtain-raiser at the Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium, the Filipinas get the relatively lighter task of aiming for maximum points and goals versus Hong Kong in the 6 p.m. (Manila time) main tussle.
But despite their 42-place disparity in the FIFA world rankings and the psychological edge of a 1-0 victory the last time they dueled at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers in 2025, Mark Torcaso’s 39th ranked charges aren’t taking HK lightly.
“Hong Kong is a tough team,” Mr. Torcaso said of their No. 81 opponent. “We need to be ready.”
Four days before, his crew survived rough sailing against the Uzbeks, who dominated possession at 64%, had 12 more shots and won five more corners with Mehribon Egamberdieva netting first blood at the 81st mi-nute.
But sub Nat Collins, 19, saved the Filipinas from disaster with her equalizer off a defensive lapse a minute before the final whistle.
“We showed passion, character and fight till the end. That’s all we asked the players — fight right to the end. A draw is okay, still,” said Mr. Torcaso.
“I believe that we just fight so hard for each other and we’re so proud to represent the crest and our Filipino culture in every and all moments that we have on the field,” said Ms. Collins after her breakout senior debut. — Olmin Leyba