It was a “good team win” that paved the way for the footballers to tick off some goals on their list.
Philippine Women’s National Football Team captain Tahnai Annis believes the Filipinas are rounding into full form, and more, after pummeling host Tajikistan in the AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Saturday at the Hisor Central Stadium.
Annis is one of seven Filipina footballers who made a goal for Team Philippines in the 8-0 victory, scoring at the 28th minute. The win puts them at the top of Group E, a spot they need to keep to advance to the next round of the Paris qualifiers.
The 33-year-old midfielder calls the dub as a “good team win,” especially for a team that always seeks to continue to improve their game. They sought to do just that in the match against Tajikistan.
“We came out pretty strong, with a lot of energy and we had a lot of goals in mind on what we wanted to work on, and how to be effective against a set defense—when teams sit back and kind of let us dictate where things are going to go,” said Annis.
The scoreboard of 8-nil shows the Filipinas did have their way, especially when six of those goals came in the first half. The world number 49 Philippines dominated possession over the 144th-ranked Tajikistan and played solid defense.
Their stellar play was not unique to this game, though, as the Filipinas also impressed in their match prior, winning 4-0 against no. 161 Pakistan. Despite clean sheets in two matches, Annis feels their squad just upped their game further against the hosts of the Olympic qualifiers.
“We had to be a little more creative on the ball and I think after our first game we finally came out and did that,” said Annis. “So, we’re happy with the win and now we can start preparing for Hong Kong in a few days.”
That Hong Kong squad, ranked 79th in the world, may pose the biggest challenge for the Filipinas in this group play. The World Cup-bound Team Philippines needs a win or a draw in that match to retain their top spot and to keep their hopes of making more history—this time in the Olympics.
Hong Kong and Philippines play each other on Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Manila time.