Filipina5 wraps up its World Cup campaign vs. Argentina
The Philippine women’s futsal team wrapped up its historic run at the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup with a hard-fought 5–1 match against quarterfinal-bound Argentina on Thursday night at the PhilSports Arena.
Argentina came out strong with five quick goals in the opening seven minutes, but the Filipina5 showed tremendous heart—tightening their defense and refusing to concede again for the rest of the match.
Isabella Bandoja delivered the highlight of the night for the home crowd, scoring on a counterattack to avoid a shutout and electrify the 2,811 fans in attendance.
Despite finishing the tournament with three losses, Coach Rafa Merino’s squad earned praise for their grit, improvement, and refusal to back down on the world stage.
“It’s the World Cup, they're playing in their home country so that’s more than enough motivation for the players,” Philippine coach Rafa Merino said in Spanish.
Kayla Santiago, who came in as goalkeeper after the early setback, also stepped up with several crucial saves that helped stabilize the defense.
Argentina topped Group A with a perfect 9 points, while the Filipina5 capped their maiden World Cup appearance with pride and valuable experience to build on for the future.
World No. 6 Argentina clinched the first seat in Group A with six points after wins over Morocco (6-0) and Poland (3-2) ahead of its final group assignment against the home side.
The 63rd-ranked Filipina5 are heavy underdogs, but that won’t stop them from fighting tooth and nail and aiming to upset the South American powers in front of their home crowd.
With nothing to lose and everything to gain, the Filipina5 look to end their historic FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup debut with pride, heart, and the relentless drive that has defined their journey so far.
“We have to try to give the best of ourselves, keep with our identity, keep with who we are,” said Merino. “There's nothing extraordinary that we can do but we play the best way we can.”
