Filipinas to ignite charge

MANILA, Philippines —  For Team Philippines, the 20th Asian Games hasn’t been much fun. Not yet, anyway.

Gilas – dethroned in men’s basketball before the opening ceremony even happens. The men’s soccer team – welcomed back to the Asiad after a long absence with a thumping. Alas Pilipinas – battered in its volleyball opener.

The only win on the board so far? Gilas over Kazakhstan – one that won’t even matter in the end.

But there’s a glimmer, and it’s coming from the Filipinas.

In Monday’s opening salvo, the youth-laden Philippine women’s football team showed its character and big fight in saving a point against ball-dominant Uzbekistan.

Now the Filipinas need to bare their fangs more against Hong Kong – the lowest-ranked side in Group G – to crank up their drive for the quarterfinals in Gifu.

The Top 2 teams in Group G as well as the two best third-placers across the three groups will march into the KO stage and heading into Day 2 match, the Pinay booters share second with the Uzbeks at one point behind China (three points after its 4-0 opening shutout of HK).

While Uzbekistan faces the mighty Chinese in today’s curtain-raiser at the Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium, the Filipinas get the relatively lighter task of aiming for maximum points and goals versus Hong Kong in the 6 p.m. (Manila time) main tussle.

But despite their 42-place disparity in the FIFA world rankings and the psychological edge of a 1-0 victory the last time they dueled at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers in 2025, Mark Torcaso’s 39th-ranked charges aren’t taking HK lightly.

“Hong Kong is a tough team,” Torcaso said of their No. 81 opponent. “We need to be ready.”

Four days before, his crew survived rough sailing against the Uzbeks, who dominated possession at 64 percent, had 12 more shots and won five more corners with Mehribon Egamberdieva netting first blood at the 81st minute.

But sub Nat Collins, 19, saved the Filipinas from disaster with her equalizer off a defensive lapse a minute before the final whistle.

“We showed passion, character and fight till the end. That’s all we asked the players – fight right to the end. A draw is okay, still,” said Torcaso.

“I believe that we just fight so hard for each other and we’re so proud to represent the crest and our Filipino culture in every and all moments that we have on the field,” said Collins after her breakout senior debut.

Over at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium yesterday, the Alas belles found China’s Great Wall hard to scale, absorbing a 25-18, 25-22, 25-8 beating.

Despite the straight-set defeat, Alas Japanese coach, Taka Minowa, was satisfied with team’s performance, saying: “I’m happy.”

“Good warm-up for us,” added Minowa, husband of former UAAP star Jaja Santiago.

The Alas belles showed some fight in the first two sets but got buried by the Chinese attacking avalanche that sent China on top of Pool B and close to claiming one of the two quarterfinal spots.

The Nationals have not given up hope of crashing the quarters.

That will be possible if they can pull the rug from under the taller, bigger Kazakhs in their face-off at 12 noon today.

China was a team on a mission after being denied by Thailand another Asian Championship gold and outright qualification to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Chinese vented their ire on the Filipinas, who entered as complete underdogs, hoping and praying for a miracle. It wasn’t answered.

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