The Philippine Women’s National Football Team were forced to settle for a 2-all draw against Uzbekistan after relinquishing a two-goal advantage in their GoTyme Bank International Friendly Match yesterday, October 29, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The Filipinas drew first blood early with Player of the Match Chandler McDaniel netting in the second minute, while Merryl Serrano’s strike from a costly clearance by Uzbekistan came at 56’ mark.
Diyorakhon Khabibullaeva delivered a brace at the 67’ and 81’ marks, respectively, to pull Uzbekistan level with the Filipinas.
Aggression and resilience
The Philippines made their presence known immediately, deploying the press early on with effective tactics that saw McDaniel light up the crowd and score the opener in the second minute, 1-0. Following up their goal, the Philippines continued to apply pressure to Uzbekistan, preventing them from launching counterattacks and creating chances. The defensive structure of the Philippines held their momentum, causing Uzbekistan to struggle from cutting through the final third as their attempts fell into the safe hands of Filipina goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel.
With the white shirts struggling to convert goals, the Philippine’s deterrent force pushed Uzbekistan to play from the back line. By the 15th minute, Uzbekistan created a clear opportunity to fight back, however, the Filipinas’ Janae Defazio and Jessika Cowart continued to push onward to reclaim possession of the ball to defend their goal. The Philippines tried to attack once more, but a deflection was made by the Uzbekistan goalkeeper Maftuna Jonimqulova two minutes later. Through multiple back-and-forth battles, the Philippines restarted once more through effective ball movement to plow through Uzbekistan’s defenses. In the 23rd minute, C. McDaniel had another chance at scoring but Jonimqulova swiftly denied her shot—highlighting Uzbekistan’s resilience and perseverance on the field against the Philippines’ strong defensive positioning.
As the game heated up, the blue shirts launched a cross but fell short for another chance to tally themselves ahead. While the Uzbeks held more control of the ball, the home team remained calm and continued capitalizing on their defense and counterattacking with quick interceptions. The sturdiness of both teams were shown in full display as shot attempts made by Khabibullaeva and Umida Zoirova of Uzbekistan were blocked through sheer determination from the Filipinas’ wall. In the 41st minute, the Philippines’ Hali Long almost made a costly error that could have led to a goal, leading to a corner kick for the away side. Despite bouts of back-to-back fouling, the Philippines survived the reinvigorated onslaught of Uzbekistan as they headed into half-time up by one goal, 1-0.
Late breakdown
Despite falling behind in the first half, Uzbekistan maintained firm control of possession as the Philippines stuck to their 5-2-3 formation to maintain their defensive setup. Although they found success from the counterattack in the previous half, the Filipinas struggled to break through the Uzbek defense, settling to play from the back. The rejuvenated white shirts amped up their offense, stringing key passes to create multiple chances, while the Filipinas’ odds mostly came from set pieces that failed to find the target.
The Filipinas relied on their crossing to make their way into the opposition’s half, but the white shirts were quick to thwart the brewing attacks. Uzbekistan’s sustained ball movement continued to create dangerous opportunities, yet the home side’s rigid back line prevented the Uzbeks from breaking through on goal. Further adding to the visitors’ frustration, a costly error from an attempted clearance was intercepted by Sofia Wunsch, who then found Merryl Serrano to calmly slot in a strike to double the Filipinas’ lead in the 56th minute, 2-0.
Faced with an uphill battle, the Uzbeks kept their composure and launched another attack into the final third. Their persistence finally paid off in the 67th minute as a well-delivered free kick found Khabibullaeva for the header that trimmed the Filipinas’ lead, 2-1. With momentum shifting, the blue shirts frantically launched long balls from the back to their forwards but Uzbekistan’s defenders telegraphed the attempts well. The visitors continued to pile pressure with chances, then pounced with a swift counterattack that led to a crucial equalizer by Khabibullaeva netting her brace from an assist from Nilufar Kudratova, 2-all, in the 81’ mark. With the match nearing its final whistle, emotions began to run high with heated exchanges and tough challenges, leading to bookings for the Uzbeks. The Philippines pushed for a late winner in the dying minutes with long-ranged shots, but these were easily saved by Jonimqulova as the match closed in a stouthearted 2-all draw.
After the match, Filipinas Head Coach Mark Torasco, in good spirits, commended their opponents and expounded on key takeaways from the match as they prepare for the upcoming SEA Games: “They’re a very good side and we respect them a lot. They’re very physical, strong, and very intelligent on the ball.” Torrasco then gave praise to his squad for staying composed despite the physical matchup and being satisfied with the result.
Player of the Match McDaniel reflected on her team’s successful match on familiar territory, “This is my first time scoring at home so I was very happy. [I’m] really proud of the girls…. We didn’t get the win but it’s still progress,” expressing her joy on scoring her first goal on home soil and having the core players complete for the match.
The Filipinas will look to refine their tactics as they prepare for the 2025 SEA Games this December in Thailand and their upcoming AFC fixtures in 2026.
