On the penultimate day of January Sarina Bolden scored the final penalty in a shootout that gave the Philippines victory over Taiwan, a place in the semi-final of the Women’s Asian Cup and – the biggest prize of all – automatic qualification to the 2023 Women’s World Cup. This is the first time a Philippines team of any gender at any age level will appear on the global stage.
As spot-kicks go then, it was a big one and the sight of the ball hitting the back of the net in the Indian city of Pune is one that the team’s coach, Alen Stajcic, will never forget. “It was pretty hard to describe – it was a special feeling,” the Australian, who took over last October, says. “Even though that had been the goal deep down for a lot of the players, it was still unexpected for them. It was great seeing people, people who had been there for a long time, celebrate something special.”
