LITERAL na bigatin ang makakabangga ng Pilipinas sa AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 sa Enero 20 hanggang Pebrero 6.
Napasama ang Pinay booters sa Group B kasama ang Australia, Thailand, at Indonesia.
Sa tatlong makakalaban, Australia ang inaasahang magiging ‘tinik sa lalamunan’ ng national squad lalo’t dati na itong nagkampeon (2010) at naging runners-up sa huling dalawang edisyon ng torneo.
Sa kabila nito, nananatiling palaban ang Pinay booters, na nakuha ang isa sa five automatic berths sa 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup sa Australia at New Zealand. Ang top two teams ay uusad sa inter-confederation playoff.
At upang mapalakas pa ang national women’s team, nagdesisyon ang Philippine Football Federation na kunin si Australia women’s head coach Alen Stajcic para sa Asian Cup.
Samantala, hindi na nagulat si Stajcic na nagkasama sa Group B ang Pilipinas at Australia.
“Like any other draw in the world, it always provide some peculiarities. I knew that Australia will somehow fall in my group,” anang coach ng Pinay booters mula 2015 hanggang 2019.
Kabilang sa Group A ang host India, China, Chinese Taipei at Iran, habang Group C ang defending champion Japan, Korea, Vietnam at Myanmar.
Ang top two teams sa bawat group at two best third-place nations ang aabante sa knockout stage.
“It’s an interesting tournament. It’s the first time it’s going to 12 teams so it’s going to present different challenges, different teams, and an extra match as well,” obserbasyon ni Stajcic.
“We now know who we play and we are now focused on targeting that first match and make sure we are ready to go,” dagdag ng Australian coach. (VT ROMANO)
148
