IT will be a do-or-die battle today when the Filipinas face familiar nemesis Myanmar at the close of Group E competition of the Hangzhou Asian Games women’s football tournament at the Wenzhou Sports Center Stadium in Wenzhou, China.
The Filipinas clash with the Burmese at 7:30 p.m., hoping to bounce back from their 1-5 setback at the hands of South Korea last Monday.
A loss will send the charges of Aussie coach Mark Torcaso to an early exit from the continental showcase.
Now ranked No. 4 among the best second-ranked teams in the five groups with a minus 4 goal difference, the Pinay footballers need to win by a huge margin to remain in contention for a spot in the quarterfinals while hoping the three squads above them lose their respective games also today.
It is easier said than done against a squad that has been a perennial thorn on the side of the Pinay footballers as far back as the 2019 Philippine Southeast Asian Games.
In the 19th SEA Games group stage, Myanmar and the Philippines battled to a scoreless draw, an outcome that eventually led to the hosts facing Vietnam in the semifinals, which they lost 0-2.
The Burmese rubbed salt on the Filipinas’ wounds, beating them 2-1 in the battle for the bronze medal.
The Nationals gained their revenge two years ago by edging Burma 2-1 for the bronze in the 31s Vietnam SEA Games but the Burmese eliminated them 1-0 in the group stage of the Cambodia Games last May.
In a post-match interview last Monday, midfielder Sara Eggesvik wasn’t throwing in the towel yet.
“I still think we still really have good chances of being the second best in the group. We really have a tough game against Myanmar and so we will just regroup and get ready for the game day,” Eggesvik said.
