Filipinas' depth on full display and other things we learned as PH trounces Malaysia

The Philippines continued its strong start to its AFF Women’s Championships 2022 campaign after an emphatic 4-0 victory over Malaysia in the Rizal Football Stadium in Manila.

The Filipinas, riding high after the huge victory against Singapore the other night, were frustrated early on by a defensive-minded Malaysia team who were wary of the Philippines’ attack.

A long-range effort from substitute Sara Eggesvik finally broke Malaysia’ stubborn resistance, before Katrina Guillou pounced for a second right before halftime.

Quinley Quezada added to her all-time leading goal tally three minutes into the second half, before substitute Anicka Castaneda rounded off the scoring late in the game.

The Philippines thus made it three wins in three games and are looking primed to clinch a semi-finals slot with a win on Sunday against Indonesia.

Here are five things we learned from the game.

1) Dominant performance from the Philippines

The tally of 25 shots on goal for the Philippines compared to none for Malaysia, tells the whole story.

Wanting to build on the seven-goal demolition of Singapore from the previous outing, the Filipinas went for the jugular from the onset and never let up, troubling keeper Nurul Azurin Mazlan to no end.

The crossbar may have denied captain Tahnai Annis, but there was no denying Eggesvik from long range in the 32nd minute.

From then on it was a matter of time before the Philippines added to their goal tally, as Malaysia rarely ventured past their own half.

Sure, it was against a team ranked 32 places below the Philippines, but the imperious form the home team showed and the spirit with which the Filipinas played the game surely makes us early favorites to reach the final in Manila.

2) Sara Eggesvik making a case for a central midfield start

She wasn’t even supposed to come on this early in the game. But after Kaya Hawkinson sustained a nasty bruise on her forehead early in the game, Coach Alen Stajcic called on Eggesvik to man the central midfield role for her country, and she did so in style.

Eggesvik was stationed on the left wing against Singapore, but against Malaysia, she staked her case to be considered for a permanent central midfield role, where she could wield her influence on the game more.

Time and again she made the forward pass that created chances for the team, and her two assists in the game are prime examples of the vision and quality that the team needs to unlock stubborn defenses.

And she showed her range as well, scoring from distance with a long-range goal that she had done before for her club team in Europe.

The midfield pairing of Eggesvik and Jackie Sawicki combines two good technical players who have an uncannily good understanding of each other, who have great awareness and who display a good control and mastery of the midfield.

And with the impressive Jessica Miclat and Ryley Bugay offering quality in midfield as well, Stajcic has a wealth of options at his disposal and will have a good problem to solve in his future team selection.

3) Impressive defense under different defenders

The Philippines gave defensive stalwarts Hali Long and Dom Randle the night off, giving youngsters Jessika Cowart and Maya Alcantara the responsibility of marshalling the Filipinas’ defense.

And the young duo did not disappoint, as they kept things tidy at the back, even if there were very attacking intent shown by Malaysia.

Fully recovered from an injury, the team welcomed left back Sofia Harrison to the starting eleven, and she immediately made her presence felt with good runs on the left wing, providing width to stretch a stubborn Malaysia defense.

But it is a testament to the collective defensive mentality – and the depth of the squad – that the team has now kept three clean sheets in a row under three different goalkeepers and under three different center back pairings.

That certainly is something the team will look at with great pride going forward.

4) Depth of the squad

Despite making eight changes to the team that won 7-0 against Singapore, the Filipinas did not miss a beat and certainly did not lose any attacking fluidity and were on attack mode from the onset.

In the months after the Asian Cup, there was always a focus on building more depth in the squad and developing internal competition for places in the team.

And with new faces Cowart, Sawicki, Eggesvik, Hawkinson and Maya Alcantara all slotting seamlessly into the lineups, it seems that whoever Coach Stajcic taps to start, they deliver.

Take the case of this game, where Stajcic made a triple sub, replacing Annis, Guillou, and Harrison with Malea Cesar, Bella Flanigan, and Castaneda.

There was no noticeable drop in quality, no great drop in team chemistry, and it seemed like the players have bought into the system set out by the coaching staff, which bodes well in a tournament like this where games are played every other day.

5) More fans needed in the stadium

Qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Won a long-awaited bronze medal in the 2022 SEA Games.

Three wins out of three in the tournament, while conceding none.

Surely those are enough reasons for fans to make the trip to downtown Manila to support our history makers.

Sure, traffic is not the easiest to navigate during rush hour and the search for a parking spot is not the easiest. One has to buy tickets, and there are minimal food choices in the grounds.

But the trade-off is the chance to watch – and support live – the Philippines National Women’s Football Team who have given, and are still giving, much glory to the country.

Fans must heed Coach Stajcic’s plea for fans to come to the stands and support the team, who certainly ‘deserve a full stadium’.

The Ultras Filipinas have been brilliant and in full voice all tournament long. Here’s hoping more fans join them in cheering for the team.

The Philippines goes for a semi-finals slot against Indonesia on July 10, Sunday at 7 p.m.

—JMB, GMA News