THE Philippines scored the icebreaker but eventually settled for a fighting 2-all draw against rallying Myanmar at the start of the Asean Women’s Futsal Championship at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City late Saturday night.
Playing before a sparse gallery, skipper Isabella Bandoja pushed the hosts ahead with the first marker in the 12th minute before the Burmese came charging back to seize the lead with goals from Lwin Thet and Yoon Mie Lwin in the 25th and 32nd minutes, respectively.
Agot Danton, coming off the bench, tied the score in the 33rd minute as the two sides settled for a point each in the tournament organized by the Philippine Football Federation as part of the national team’s build-up and the country’s hosting of next year’s inaugural FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup.
“Sobrang saya ko po talaga dahil ako ang naka-iskor ng opening goal,” said Bandoja. “Malaking bagay po ito sa akin at sa team.”
In the other match, top favorite Thailand nipped Indonesia 1-0 through Darika Penpailun’s goal in the 36th minute to take the early lead in the single-round series of the five-nation competition.
Philippine side Dutch tactician Vic Hermans was generally satisfied with how his charges played against the visitors, adding: “I hope the players now understand the physicality of the game. But I am satisfied with the draw. I cannot say anything else.”
The Pinay futsal players were scheduled to return last night against the Thais at 7 p.m. while Myanmar was up against debuting Vietnam earlier at 4 o’clock.
