The Philippine National Women’s Football team, Filipinas, suffered a loss to Korea with the final game score at 0:3 on March 4, 2026 in the Gold Coast Stadium.   This followed the team’s valiant performance of holding Australia at 0:1 in the opening game of the AFC Asian Women’s Cup Australia 2026 held at the Perth Stadium on March 1.  In that game, Sam Kerr (player no. 20, team captain) scored in the first half.  Filipinas had good attempts to equalise in the second half but were unsuccessful.
In their second AFC Asian Women’s Cup 2026 game, Filipinas players were simply outclassed by their Korean competitors.  This was acknowledged by Head Coach Torcaso in an interview after the game.
At just 11 minutes, the first goal came from Jeon Yu-gyeong (player # 15) when she successfully went through the defense and got the shot over Filipinas goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel’s head.  About 3 minutes later, Park Soo-Jeong (player #13) scored the second goal for the Korea.
Filipinas formidable goalkeeper McDaniel valiantly saved several attempts at goal.  There were worrying moments when she suffered cramping moments.  Filipinas had good attempts at goal, which included a good shot by Cathy Frilles (player #9 ) before half time, but were unsuccessful.  The first half had four additional minutes, ended with the game score of 0-2 in favour of Korea.
The third goal for Korea was scored by Mun Eun-Ju (player #9) following a scramble after a corner kick at 55th minute game time.
The video of the match, courtesy of AFC Asian Women’s Cup Australia 2026 can be viewed via the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUeilu7N_WY
It was not the outcome the die-hard Filipinas' supporters were hoping for.   Throughout the game, they kept cheering their idols on.  At the end of the game, Filipinas applauded the supporters who braved the searing sun to show their support.  Several players came to the sideline to express their thanks and even signed memento thrown over the fence by avid fans.

As the players were leaving, this writer was able to record a short interview with Malea Cesar (player #2). 

Her comments on the AFC Asian Women’s Cup participation and preparation for the next game::
“So far, the tournament has been tough.  Obviously, we are playing against competitors who are tactically and technically good.
We are going to re-set and re-focus.  We’d do analysis of the games we have played and prepare for the game vs Iran.”
She added her message to the kababayans who went to the stadium and cheered the team to the end:
“Thank you for all the support which helps carry us through.  As you know, we are not just playing for ourselves, but for our national pride, country and kababayans.  Salamat!  Mabuhay!”
We also managed to request Head Coach Mark Torcaso for his message to Filipinas’ supporters. 

He was appreciative of the presence of Filipinas' supporters in the audience. He commented:
“We want more and more supporters to come and watch us particularly in the next game which is going to be important for our team.  I ask Filipinos in Australia, New Zealand and any where else, if possible to come and watch the girls.  I know it is going to be mportant to the girls.  Thank you.”

It was wonderful to meet after the game some of the local and inter-state supporters   One of them was Mark Ong, from Sydney.  He is known for his involvement in the Tagalog School in Blacktown and teaching about Baybayin, the traditional Tagalog writing. It has also been enjoyable to have Fil-Aus media colleague and friend, Annalyn Violata’s company during the event and on the free day.

We look forward to supporting Filipinas in the upcoming game against Iran on March 8 at the Gold Coast Stadium.   This is going to be an important game for Filipinas’ placement in the tournament.  Both have zero points from 2 losses. At the moment, Filipinas the goal difference for the third place is minus 4 and Iran with minus 7.  Points first and goal difference next will decide which 3rd place team will reach the quarter finals. There are 3 pools and only two of the three 3rd place teams will progress to the quarter finals. The Filipinas have everything to play for in this game.
Laban Filipinas!!!
#LabanFilipinasParaSaBayan#WAC2026