Filipinas seek place in history

MANILA, Philippines — First, they clinched a historic ticket to the prestigious FIFA Women’s World Cup. Then they captured a first medal in 37 years for Philippine football in the Southeast Asian Games.

Is a milestone crown in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship next for the brilliant Philippine lady booters?

Enjoying their best form ever, the roaring Filipinas go for the ultimate prize against nemesis Thailand tonight in what they envision as their greatest, most emotional feat yet before their loud, joyous supporters at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The Filipinas’ confidence is sky-high heading into the 7:30 p.m. finale, knowing they have the tools to beat the best in this part of the world. Proof was their famous 4-0 verdict of holder Vietnam, which prior to Friday’s semis beating was on a 26-match unbeaten record against Asean opponents since 2018.

“We showed we’ve matured and evolved and for me, beat a really top-class team. We’ve come a long way but you know, I’m greedy, I’m hungry for more,” said Philippine coach Alen Stajcic.

This hunger for growth and glory rubs off fully on the Filipinas.

“We’re going to give a brave performance and we’ll see if we can make history,” said star striker Sarina Bolden, who delivered a brace in the disposal of 2019 champ Vietnam and currently leads the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot with seven goals overall.

Potentially fueling the fire further is the revenge factor for on the other side stands an opponent that stained their otherwise clean record in pool play, 1-0, and relegated them to No. 2 in Group A.

“We have reached a new milestone and now we’re looking forward to the finals and really see if we take a bit of revenge on the Thais after they beat us last Wednesday,” said Stajcic.

The rallying claps and chants of the Rizal crowd, which has grown to over 2,000 in the semis, also comes in handy for the history-chasing lady booters.

“Amazing (home crowd) and the players feel the love. And the more love there is, the better they’re going to perform,” said Stajcic.

“It’s hard to play the home team. We definitely know that experience playing in the SEA Games against Vietnam. When you have that home crowd, it’s the greatest feeling and it’s a really, really big help,” said Bolden.

The Thais, who advanced via a 2-0 blanking of Myanmar in the semis, are aiming for redemption after losing the tiara they held for three consecutive editions (2015, 2017 and 2018) to the Vietnamese in 2019 in Chonburi.