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Veterans Angela Beard and Jaclyn Sawicki’s goals from Jael-Marie Guy’s final passes have propelled the Philippine women’s soccer team back to the FIFA World Cup.
MANILA, Philippines – The Filipinos are back on the biggest stage in women’s soccer.
For the second consecutive edition, the Philippines qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup after a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan in their AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifier at the Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland, Australia, on Thursday, March 19.
Second half goals by Angela Beard and Jaclyn Sawicki earned the Filipinos a return trip to the 2027 World Cup to be hosted by Brazil following their first appearance in the 2023 edition.
The third time was the charm for Beard after two unsuccessful attempts in a goalless first half and he finally found the back of the net in the 47th minute, connecting a left-footed shot from outside the box off a Jael-Marie Guy cross to put the Philippines on the board.
Guy added his second five minutes later, his cross from the left finding Sawicki, whose header past Uzbekistan goalkeeper Maftuna Jonimqulova doubled the Philippines’ lead to 2-0.
Frustration mounted for the Uzbeks as Dilrabo Asadova and Diyorakhon Khabibullaeva were shown yellow cards in the 56th and 58th minutes, respectively, but the Philippines held their composure and stayed off the field.
The win featured a good mix of veteran experience and youthful ability, with 28-year-old Beard and 33-year-old Sawicki joining 18-year-old Guy.
Guy, who plays for Brown University in the US NCAA, only joined the senior team last November but has been a key player, helping the Philippines dominate the Southeast Asian Games for the first time in Thailand in December.
“We came here with a young squad, between the ages of 18 and 24. To have a future star start on the world stage, and play well in big games, and at the World Cup is a testament to him and his family,” said Philippines head coach Mark Torcaso of Guy.
It was a perfect end to an Asian Cup campaign that saw the Philippines win just one game in the group stage before suffering a 7-0 thrashing by Japan in the quarterfinals.
The loss to Japan prevented the Philippines from replicating qualification for the 2023 World Cup as it advanced to the final of the 2022 Asian Cup with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals.
But the Filipinos made sure they didn’t lose their second crack at the World Cup.
The Philippines joins Japan, Australia, China, and South Korea in the 32-nation World Cup, while Chinese Taipei and North Korea battle it out for the final Asian spot. – Rappler.com
