Filipinas campaign in FIFA Women’s World Cup ends with gratitude from fans

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Even in painful defeat, there may be a lot event for celebration.

The Philippines has bowed out of its maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup after a humbling 6-0 by the hands of Norway, however not earlier than capturing the hearts and minds of Filipinos.

Coming off of a sensational 1-0 victory towards co-hosts New Zealand, the debuting Filipinas knew {that a} victory towards the top-seeded Norway will propel them to the knockout stage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

With the Norway workforce struggling on the sphere and seemingly embroiled in inside turmoil, the timing appeared proper for the Philippines to trigger yet one more main upset in girls’s soccer.

However, Norway rapidly gave the Filipinas a harsh actuality test and an actual sense of the hole in high quality between the 2 groups with three first half targets, en path to a six-goal thrashing of the Philippines.

Boasting of world class gamers reminiscent of Caroline Graham Hansen and Guro Reiten, Norway gave the Filipinas a entrance view seat as to the standard wanted to play on the main leagues in Europe.

Unfortunately for the Filipinas, all the things that might go incorrect, did go incorrect within the sport. An early aim conceded, an personal aim, a crimson card, and a penalty towards the Filipinas have been a number of the challenges the workforce confronted in 90 minutes on the sphere.

However, off the sphere, it was a really completely different story.

With its very chilly winter climate and mince and cheese steak pies, Auckland could also be a good distance from Manila however the historic Eden Park grew to become a house floor for the Philippines as Filipinos from the world over comprised the vast majority of the 32,000 followers in attendance.

Chants of “PI-LI-PI-NAS” could possibly be heard reverberating throughout the stadium because the workforce took the sphere, and when ‘Lupang Hinirang’ was sung, one could be forgiven for feeling prefer it was again dwelling in Rizal Memorial Football Stadium — solely with winter jackets.

Despite Norway’s margin of victory ballooning, the Filipino followers didn’t let up and most waited even after the ultimate whistle to indicate their appreciation to the workforce.

Back dwelling within the Philippines, viewing events within the malls everywhere in the nation have sparked a renewed curiosity within the sport, one thing defender Jessika Cowart is appreciative of.

“Seeing the amount of people who showed up for us back home, it’s amazing and it’s just the beginning for football in the Philippines,” stated Cowart.

“I think this tournament showed that football is alive in the Philippines and it’s not something to be looked over and that people love it.”

For some, shedding two video games and getting a ‘lucky’ win whereas going out of the group stage won’t be their definition of triumph. Personally, the Filipinas marketing campaign is a particular success and is a trigger for celebration, with the magnitude of the achievement maybe not evident but at the moment second.

Once we step again and actually give it some thought, many nations haven’t even had the prospect to qualify for the World Cup, and in the event that they did, needed to undergo quite a few World Cup campaigns looking for their first aim and victory.

For the Filipinas to perform each on the first-time is one thing actually magical and actually particular, and as Alen Stajcic rightfully places it, “nothing short of miraculous.”

The necessary factor, nonetheless, is to have the ability to construct on the features of the surge of publicity and consciousness that this marketing campaign has generated and translate that right into a sustainable pipeline for the subsequent era of Filipinas.

The finish aim, after all, isn’t just to be glad to make the World Cup this one time. The goal can be to make this a daily factor, to ensure we belong at all times in world soccer’s greatest stage by taking part and qualifying repeatedly.

As captain Hali Long succinctly put it, “We want this to be sustainable. We would like to see Philippine flag in the World Cup more often.”

“We want to show the world na hindi chamba ang ginawa natin.”

(We need to present that it was not a fluke.)

With the core of the workforce nonetheless younger, there’s a real hope that this success can proceed, particularly with the expertise gained within the final 18 months.

But for now, an enormous thanks to the Filipinas, the teaching workers and administration, for making grown women and men cry tears of pleasure as their very own little goals come true.

Thank you for making us really feel that we Filipinos too, belong to world soccer’s elite.

For nonetheless far and extensive all of us go from right here, we’ll at all times have Wellington, the place for an altogether transient second, the nation united behind twenty-three girls who represented the nation, and dared to dream.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News