Filipinas ensure their return to FIFA Women’s World Cup in beating Uzbekistan, 2-0

ALL SET for football’s grandest stage. Again.

Three years after their historic FIFA Women’s World Cup (WC) debut in New Zealand, the amazing Filipinas ensured their return to the global showpiece by beating Uzbekistan, 2-0, in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup’s (WAC) Play-In match in Gold Coast, Australia on Thursday.

Angie Beard and Jaclyn Sawicki, two veterans of the group that created a milestone in the 2023 WC highlighted by a 1-0 upset of the host Kiwis, produced the crucial goals in the second half that cleared the Pinay booters’ path back to the marquee tourney set to be hosted by Brazil next year.

Ms. Beard (47^th) and Ms. Sawicki (52^nd) took turns converting crafty assists from 18-year-old young gun Jael-Marie Guy to break a nerve-wracking scoreless tie and spell the difference in the KO for the fifth WC slot on the line in the Continental meet.

“This is something I dreamed about since I was a little. Going to the World Cup seems unreachable until it actually happens,” said Ms. Guy, who previously helped the squad win a first-ever gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last December.

“It really does take a village. If Angie and Jackie weren’t on the end of those (assists), if our defense didn’t come through and everyone on the bench wasn’t supporting each other, this wouldn’t happen. None of this would be possible if we weren’t together. So I’m just super grateful and super excited to go to Brazil next summer.”

The Filipinas joined host Australia, Japan, China and South Korea in the march to the WC. The four qualified by reaching the quarterfinals of the WAC. Chinese-Taipei and North Korea, meanwhile, were set to dispute the sixth and last ticket in their Play-In duel on Thursday.

“I’m proud of every single player, the way they stuck together as a big group led by captain Hali Long. The girls have been outstanding for the last six weeks and all the work that we’ve put in over that time has come to this and I’m extremely proud,” said coach Mark Torcaso. — Olmin Leyba