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MANILA, Philippines – Head coach Alen Stajcic praised the Philippine women’s football team for their resilience after they completed a 4-1 comeback win over Indonesia to stay unbeaten in the AFF Women’s Championship.
A rare blunder from veteran goalkeeper Inna Palacios allowed Indonesia to take a 1-0 lead at halftime, but the Filipinas roared their way back with four unanswered goals in the second half.
“For us not to play our best game and then come out in the second half and show that resilience was a really good quality,” said Stajcic after the thrilling match.
“Probably one of the most important qualities you can have in the team – to be able to bounce back and remain composed and calm and stick to your principles and being able to plug through a game where you haven’t played so well and being able to find form.”
Stajcic declined to go into detail about his halftime speech, but he mentioned that he did not need to give the players extra motivation to produce the come-from-behind win.
“That comes from the playing group. As I said, I’m happy with their resilience because ultimately it’s the players who perform out on the pitch and they’re the ones who had to pick themselves up,” he said.
“The coach can’t do that, there’s no magic wand at halftime.”
Stajcic added his wards stuck with their principles and stayed true to the game they have been playing over the last few months.
“The players deserve full credit. It’s not easy to have the scoreboard against you when you’re a heavy favorite to win, there’s a lot of pressure that comes with that,” he said.
“So for us to remain calm and composed as I said and show that resilience is a really important sign for the growth of this team.”
With the win, the 53rd-ranked Filipinas clinched a semifinal berth, while the world No. 95 Indonesians bowed out of contention and stayed put at the bottom half of Group A.
The Philippines has one more group stage game left to play against Thailand on Tuesday, July 12, and Stajcic wants the home fans to pack the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Stajcic shared that he loves listening to the songs of the Ultras Filipinas – an organized fan group that supports the national football teams – and that the “noise and the atmosphere is certainly an extra factor” for them.
“The bigger that atmosphere, the more chance we have of winning this tournament. That’s the whole point of having a home ground advantage so I implore everyone to come out and support the team, support their nation, and really help us go over the line.” – Rappler.com
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