Years later, the Filipinas are playing in football’s grandest stage.
Filipinas veteran Quinley Quezada almost never made it to their historic AFC Women’s Asian Cup match against Chinese Taipei. The very game that sent the squad to the FIFA Women's World Cup.
That’s because she tested positive for COVID-19 in the aftermath of the team's opening match against Thailand in the event hosted by India.
She was consequently confined in her hotel room for seven days, forced to skip the games against Australia and Indonesia.
To say that she was heartbroken was an understatement.
“I was just honestly so devastated, right then and there when [our staff] told me I had COVID I remember I was crying in my room,” she said in an interview with Optus Sport.
Good thing the ZFK Red Star Belgrade stalwart was released just in time for the game against Chinese Taipei where she struck a goal for a 1-0 lead that made a world of difference.
“I was released the day before the Chinese Taipei game. So I did one training with them, and then the next day, we had our game and thankfully I could start the game,” she said.
Probably just as tough as this experience was the Filipinas’ hard-luck years.
Quezada first joined the team in the 2018 AFF Women’s Asia Cup when they weren't making any dent to be in the headlines.
“I've been in the team back when we were barely getting traction, barely going to big tournaments or winning big tournaments,” she said.
“So comparing it to how it was from the beginning and seeing our growth... it means so much to me that we can see the growth of everything.”
But that’s all gone now. Years later, the Filipinas are playing in football's grandest stage.
“It just means so much like being able to represent the country. It's heartwarming in every way,” she said.
(GM)