It’s one of the most important moments in the country’s sports history.
Roughly a month from now, the Philippine Women’s National Football Team (PWNFT) will make its historic appearance in the FIFA World Cup. Currently ranked 46th by FIFA, the Filipinas appear to be on the right track heading into the game’s biggest stage. Filipino football fans have witnessed how the PWNFT achieved one of its main goals, and without a doubt, they still feel its impact to this day.
The same can be said about Filipinas coach Alen Stajcic. In a feature made by Optus Sport, the 49-year-old tactician proudly recalled her wards’ game-changing victory in the quarterfinals of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
“Heading into that game against Chinese Taipei, in the World Cup qualifier, there was a massive expectation on the group,” Stajcic admitted at the 2:56 mark of the interview.
“We lifted that expectation from within. There was all of a sudden, a feeling within the group that we can achieve things, that we can dream about things that we didn’t think were possible before,” he claimed.
That level of self-belief that the Filipinas had during that high-stakes game in January of last year was perhaps embodied best by Sarina Bolden. In the penalty shootout with the game tied at a point apiece, the star forward bucked a crucial miss earlier in the qualifiers, and ultimately rose to the occasion like the great ones do.
“We all know how quickly penalty shootouts can change. We went from being down a shot to, on the verge of one kick away from being out, to having the winning kick,” Stajcic remembered.
“Sarina Bolden who missed one earlier in the tournament, you know, the amount of fortitude, and strength, and character to be able to step up when you’ve missed one in the game before, and come up for the winning kick is amazing,” Coach Alen praised Bolden’s resolve.
According to the PWNFT mentor, living up to the team’s principles helped Bolden achieve a feat that practically left an indelible mark in Philippine football.
“We had a few principles in our team. She firmly believed in a lot of that stuff. She believed in herself in that moment, and scored the winner, and changed football in the Philippines forever.”
Bolden and the rest of the history-making Filipinas will make their FIFA World Cup debut on July 20.