PFF upbeat with PH's chances vs SKorea

PHILIPPINE Football Federation (PFF) President Mariano "Nonong" Araneta is upbeat about the Philippine women's national football team's chances against South Korea in the semifinals of the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup on Thursday, February 3.

While Araneta recognizes the strength of world No.18 South Korea, especially after it beat No. 11 Australia, 1-0, in the quarterfinals on January 30, the PFF chief said that the Philippine team is playing at its peak these days and is energized by its victory over Chinese-Taipei on Monday.

That win against No. 39 Taiwan not only pushed the No. 64 Philippines to the semifinals but also gave the country its first-ever ticket to the FIFA Women's World Cup.

"We have to be realistic with our chances in the semifinals against Korea that beat Australia. But we saw how our women's team had been playing," said Araneta during the Philippine Sportswriters Association online forum on Tuesday.

"They (Koreans) held Australia scoreless for 55 minutes. It's a different ball game right now because of what happened. Their (Filipinos) level of confidence that they can compete with the best is already there."

South Korea defeated the same Australian team that blanked the Philippines, 4-0, on January 24 in the group stage.

But Araneta said the Nationals will play South Koreans with a different intensity, now that they are a "World Cup team."

"The morale of the team is there, and I think their World Cup qualification will give them extra gasoline to play harder and go for the finals in the Asian Cup. But whatever happens, we told them that we're so proud of what they've achieved," he said.

Source: TheManila Times