CHONBURI – Olivia McDaniel essayed another unforgettable performance that will go down in the annals of Philippine football.
McDaniel delivered a match-winning save to send the Filipinas to a 6-5 win on penalty kicks against eight-time Southeast Asian Games champion Vietnam on Wednesday for the country’s first-ever football gold medal in the biennial competition.
It was another heroic effort that could be in the same level as her performance in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup win against New Zealand where she was able to protect the Filipinas’ 1-0 lead with a couple of defensive plays in the second half.
READ Filipinas claim historic SEAG gold by beating Vietnam in shootout
“Same,” said McDaniel, when asked what is the most memorable among the two efforts.
McDaniel admitted being bummed out when she had to go through another penalty shootout during the gold medal match of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games women’s football tournament.
The Filipinas played their second straight extra time game after their semifinal victory against Thailand that was also won on penalties, 4-2.
McDaniel said it became a mental battle in the end.
“Honestly, I didn't want to do it again,” said McDaniel. “But I knew we all had a part to play and we knew at the end of the day the job needed to be done.”
“And so we just rallied behind each other and we knew there was nothing else but the gold. So I think that's pretty much what our mindset going through the entire game was,” she added.
“It was really a hard-fought game. Some of us have played five 90-minute matches plus two extra times and PKs. We were definitely heavy legs. But not every single team we played against, they were always on the ground. None of us sat down. None of us were tired. None of us were cramping.”
“I think sometimes you get a bit frustrated in those PK shootouts because if you go the wrong way or you guess the wrong way, you know, you can get down on yourselves. But every single time I went back in, I told myself, I'm going to save one. I'm going to get one,” said McDaniel.
Wednesday’s victory was the first major achievement of the Filipinas since the Women’s World Cup, after some ups and downs along the way. But McDaniel said the win is another proof that the Philippine women's football team belongs in the world stage.
“Anytime we can put our country on a pedestal and make it the talking point and make sure people are talking about us and know how strong we are, that's the most important. I’m so proud of this team and I’m so proud to be a Filipino and play for this country.
"And people are always doubting us and talking about us and saying we don’t belong here. But we belong in these conversations. We belong at the top. And we’re just continuing to prove that again and again.
"We want to be regulars at the top,” said McDaniel.
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