The Philippines women's national team aims to make history
"From the very start of the tournament, our goal was to win the final match of the SEA Games, and we are determined to achieve that," captain Hali Long declared after the Philippines defeated host Thailand 4-2 on penalties to reach the final against Vietnam in women's football.
The thrilling comeback victory on Thailand’s home ground represents the latest milestone in the historic journey this team has brought to their nation, notably their 1-0 triumph over host New Zealand at the 2023 World Cup, which has now paved the way for the Philippines to contend for the SEA Games gold medal on the afternoon of December 17.
The Philippines will face the Vietnam women's national team in the final, driven by a strong determination to complete the rise of Philippine women's football — a team once regarded as the "easy opponents" of SEA Games football — now officially joining the group of champions.
Before SEA Games 33, the Philippines’ best achievement at the SEA Games was a bronze medal in 2021 in Hanoi. Previously, they earned a medal at the 1985 SEA Games in Bangkok, a competition involving only three teams, finishing behind Thailand and Singapore. On their path to the final, coach Mark Torcaso’s team overcame many challenges.
Height is a significant advantage for the Philippines when facing Vietnam in the women's football final. Photo: FAT
A tough start came with a 1-2 loss to Myanmar in their opening Group A match, but with relentless spirit, the Philippines bounced back with a 1-0 win over Vietnam, followed by a dominant 6-0 victory against Malaysia to secure a semifinal spot.
The match against Thailand became even more intense when the Philippines fell behind 0-1. Refusing to give up, the team equalized through Gael-Marie Guy’s penalty at the 87th minute, then completed the comeback by successfully converting penalties by Guy, Alex Carpio, Sara Eggesvik, and Hali Long.
"They never stopped fighting throughout the entire tournament," coach Torcaso emotionally shared. "I feel an incredible emotion having come this far. Witnessing this team grow, develop, and change every day is something I wouldn’t trade for anything."
Yesterday, coach Mai Đức Chung gave the Vietnam women's football team a rest day to recover and regain strength in preparation for the final against the Philippines at 7:30 PM on December 17. The whole team will resume training this afternoon, December 16, one day before the final.
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