PH women’s football team opens Asian Games campaign vs Hong Kong

HANGZHOU, China: Emboldened by their impressive showing in the FIFA Women's Football Cup, the Filipinas hope to hurdle their opening game assignment in the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games on Friday, September 22.

Not only that.

Members of the Philippine women’s football team. PHOTO BY RIO DELUVIO

They just received their $30,000 bonus for just making it to the grandest stage of women's football, so expect them to pull all the stops when they clash with a familiar rival in Hong Kong at the Wenzhou Sports Centre Stadium.

Game time is at 4 p.m. (Manila time) with star players like co-captain Hali Long, Sarina Bolden and Sara Eggesvik expected to dazzle their growing number of fans and once again awe their defenders.

“They are fully motivated,”said Philippine Football Federation secretary-general Edwin Gastanes, who is being groomed as the president of the association.

The Filipinas are certainly going to use their 4-1 win over the Hong Kong side last April to their advantage as they intend to make their inaugural stint in the quadrennial event doubly special.

The Filipinas are currently ranked 44th in the FIFA world rankings, enough to strike fear in the hearts of their Asian rivals.

The only thorn for the Filipinas in Group E elims is South Korea. The other team in their group is Myanmar which is not much of a problem for the well-trained PH side.