Sarina Bolden believes 'anything is possible' for Filipinas after first FIFA Women's World Cup win

Now that the Filipinas have tasted victory on football's biggest stage, striker Sarina Bolden believes anything is possible for them at this point.

Bolden, whose game-winning penalty kick last January 2022 sent the Philippine women's football team to the 2023 FIFA World Cup, scored another historic finish when she unleashed a header that gave them the lone goal in their 1-nil victory against host New Zealand on Tuesday in Wellington.

They will next face Norway, currently no. 12 in the world, on Sunday with hopes to advance to the next round. Even against difficult odds, though, Bolden said the confidence and morale of the team have definitely been boosted.

"Absolutely. I think anything is possible for us, for sure," said the 27-year-old Bolden.

"It’s a lot of feelings right now. We put a lot of work into this and almost two years of sacrifice, commitment, dedication, work. Been a lot of ups, been a lot of downs to be able to achieve this goal of ours, to get a win, to score," she added.

Since qualifying, the Filipinas have dedicated 18 months to prepare and gear up for the World Cup as they set up training camps in Sydney, Australia as well as in Auckland and Wellington.

They also joined a number of tournaments such as the Pinatar Cup in Spain in February, the AFC Olympic Qualifier in Tajikistan in April, and the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia last May.

And while she converted the only goal in the contest, Bolden said it took a collective effort to bag their first win at the World Cup.

"It’s just a lot of feelings, but it takes everyone, it takes a village. And without Livs (Olivia McDaniel) for the stops at the end, the goal doesn’t matter. It really took everyone, I’m just so happy."

—Bea Micaller, with reporting by Ryan Fenix/JMB, GMA Integrated News