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    Pinay booters eye place in quarters, face Indonesia in Asian Cup

    Philippines gets chance to move closer to coveted World Cup spot
    Jan 26, 2022
    Philippine women's football team vs Australia Kiara Fontanilla save
    Australia puts pressure as PH goalkeeper Kiara Fontanilla tries to protect the ball.
    PHOTO: AFC

    THE Philippines goes for a quarterfinal berth and another step closer to a World Cup spot as it faces Indonesia on Thursday night in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, India.

    Philippines vs Indonesia in Asian Cup preview

    The Filipina booters take on Indonesia with a win in their 7:30 p.m. match (10 p.m. Philippine Standard Time) assuring them of second place in Group B and an outright spot in the quarterfinals.

    Five spots for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup are also at stake in the competition moving forward.

    Confidence is at high after the team still called by fans as Malditas put on a respectable showing against Australia before bowing, 4-0. The team remains in second place in Group B with three points.

    Sam Kerr vs Hali Long Pinay booters vs Australia Asian Cup

    The Philippines beat Thailand, 1-0, in its first match, which proved to be vital as the Filipinas will still take No. 2 even if Thailand, which also has three points in Group B, beats Australia on Thursday.

    “I would like to win my little battles on the field and that went from the entire team,” said Philippines defender Hali Long, one of the top performers in the match against Australia. “I think we all won our little battles where we needed to. And even if we didn’t win that moment specifically, we will try to win our next one. Our hustle on and off the field definitely showed in that game. I think it was a big boost in our morale.”

    Having played already a world-class team in Australia, Long said the team will ensure that there will be no letdown in the effort as it plays and Indonesia squad that remains winless in the competition including an 18-0 defeat against the Matildas.

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    Long said the bar has been set higher with the two previous matches and it is up to the squad to even elevate their game even more against Indonesia for a possible quarterfinal seat.

    “Our mindset hasn’t changed at all. Our mindset going to this is to win to make it out of our group. Our goal is win against Indonesia, place second in our group, and just come out on top. We are going to play with our heart, our hustle, and I hope it translates tomorrow,” said Long.

    “I think the Thailand game set the bar pretty high and the Australia game set the bar even higher for ourselves. We definitely gave ourselves quite a challenge for this next game to raise that bar even higher even regardless of what Indoesia is ranked. I think it all becomes personal to ourselves, personal tour team as a whole what we want to show next,” Long said.

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      Aside from their play on the field, Long also said the team is also ensuring that they follow the health and safety protocols strictly with the Philippine squad already facing COVID-19 issues over the past days.

      The competition already saw the withdrawal of host India to the virus.

      Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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      Australia puts pressure as PH goalkeeper Kiara Fontanilla tries to protect the ball.
      PHOTO: AFC
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