Filipina5 vs S. American heavyweight Argentina in Futsal World Cup

Matches on Thursday
(PhilSports Arena)
6 p.m. – Poland vs Morocco
8:30 p.m. – Argentina vs Philippines

IT’S A David-versus-Goliath situation against Argentina but the lion-hearted Filipina5 is not shrinking away.

They’ve aspired to be in moments like this so whatever the odds are, expect the Philippines’ bet to make every effort to give the South American heavyweight a run for its money and home supporters a treat in their last game at the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup.

“We are at the World Cup and we’re hosting so we got the crowd on our side, which has created the most electric atmosphere,” said Jaclyn Sawicki, a World Cup vet in the 11-a-side in 2023 who made her debut in the premier tournament for the 5-a-side indoor variant here.

“We can’t take these moments for granted, like who knows when we’re going to be in the (futsal) World Cup again. And I think the girls are just going to keep their heads up, be resilient as we always are and fight, para sa bayan (for the country),” she added.

The Filipina5, who have already bowed out of the quarterfinal race following losses to Poland, 0-6, and Morocco, 2-3, take their final bow in the prestigious Cup backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Football Federation at 8:30 p.m. at the PhilSports Arena.

The world No. 6 Argentines set out to complete a sweep of Group A after victories over Morocco, 0-6, and Poland, 3-2, before heading into the knockout rounds.

“We have to try to give the best out of ourselves, keep with our identity, keep with who we are. There’s nothing extraordinary that we can do but we play the best way we can,” said Filipina5 coach Rafa Merino.

The home side quickly moved on from Monday’s heartbreaking defeat to Morocco, where Inday Tolentin and Cathrine Graversen led it to a 2-0 running start with milestone goals before the reigning African champs turned the tables around.

“It was a bit disappointing because we started with a two-goal difference so the team was quite affected but it cannot let us down because we have one game against Argentina. After this, we have to find the strength to fight the next game,” said Mr. Merino.

Meanwhile, Poland and Morocco, tied for second with three points (1-1 win-loss), tangle at 6 p.m. to determine the second team that will advance to the Last-8 from Group A. — Olmin Leyba