MATCH TODAY
(Hohhot Sports Center, Hohhot, China)
11 a.m. – Iran vs. Philippines
THE odds will be stacked against the Filipina5 when they take on back-to-back defending champion Iran today in their opening match in Group B, marking the Philippine debut in the AFC Women’s Asian Futsal Cup at the Hohhot Sports Center in Hohhot, China.
The charges of Spanish coach Rafa Rodriguez tangle with the daunting Iranians, who have won all 10 matches in the 2015 and 2018 editions of the competition and are eyeing a grand slam of titles and are ranked No. 9 in the FIFA women’s futsal ratings, at 11 a.m.
This intimidating prospect doesn’t faze Rodriguez, who came in as the head coach at virtually the last minute in January and took a newly revamped PH squad that stunned the field in the qualifiers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Among the highlights for the Filipinas was a 3-all draw against the fancied Uzbeks and a 2-0 win over Turkmenistan in Group C on the way to booking a historic ticket in the continental futsal showcase for women in the chilly provincial capital of Inner Mongolia.
“It will be a big challenge for us – they’re (the Iranians) are the best team in Asia,” Rodriguez said in an interview posted on the Asian Football Confederation website yesterday. “We’re going to learn a lot from that match. We know it will be very difficult, but we’re approaching it with great enthusiasm.”
The Spanish tactician acknowledged that the absence of crafty scorer Katrina Guillou, who was tied down with club commitments, would be felt, saying: “I don’t think there’s any one key player but it’s true that Katrina, who couldn’t be with us, brought a lot of experience.
“She’s also a player with a knack for scoring goals.”
The Filipina5 have retained the core of the squad, including versatile Isabella Flanigan, Judy Connoly, Dionesa Valentin and goalkeeper Samantha Hughes, who are expected to lead the charge in trying to foil the Iranian juggernaut.
National team manager Vince Santos said that the PH side played “unofficial” tune-up games with Australia and China but was not allowed to disclose their results.
Calling the shots for Iran is national women’s futsal coach ForouzanSolymani, who brought five mainstays from the past champion squads.
Among those returning in the bid to keep the title in Iranian hands is Sara Shirbeigi, the Asian Women’s Futsal Cup all-time scorer with 14 goals and is bullish on making her presence felt after recovering from an injury.
“I hope we can become champions of Asia for the third consecutive time,” Shirbeigi said. “All our goals and efforts will be focused on this. However, as you know, achieving this is challenging since teams like Japan and Thailand are strong competitors. Nonetheless, we are Iran.”
“Our team still has weaknesses that we worked on during the recent SAT Futsal Championship in Thailand and I hope that by addressing these issues, we can lift the championship trophy for the third time and make our nation proud,” she added.
The Nationals take on Asean champ Vietnam on Friday before winding up the group stage against Hong Kong on May 11, with the top two teams from Group B advancing to the knockout round.
The finalists and the winner of the battle for third place will earn a slot in the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup that the country is hosting in November.
