Even with superpowers not in PH group, Filipinas’ task not in any way easier

The Filipinas (photo above) celebrate in the din of fireworks and sprays of champagne after blanking Thailand, 3-0, for the country’s first Asean Football Federation Women’s Championship title on Sunday before a banner crowd at the Rizal Memorial Stadium pitch. –PFF PHOTO

Coach Alen Stajcic admitted that a part of him was disappointed with the missed chance of seeing the Philippine women’s football team drawn alongside some of the premier teams in the world like the United States.

But that doesn’t mean that Stajcic and the Filipinas are expecting anything easier ahead of their maiden Fifa Women’s World Cup stint that will see the national squad take on cohost New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland in Group A.

“I’m a bit disappointed that we didn’t get a USA or a Germany or a France,” Stajcic said during an online press conference held following Saturday’s draw ceremony in Auckland, New Zealand.

“But ultimately, whoever we got, there are teams that are ranked higher than us and we have to punch above our way just to be competitive,” added the Australian-born coach who will now begin mapping out plans for Fifa’s premier showcase slated in July.

There was hope heading into the proceedings that the Filipinas may end up being drawn alongside the celebrated American squad that will seek an unprecedented third straight crown, Euro winner England and perennial contenders in Germany and France.

That didn’t happen as England was drawn in Group D, the Americans in Group E, France in Group F, Sweden in Group G and Germany in Group H.

But many seem to feel that the Filipinas stand to have a chance of putting up a fight in their group, with New Zealand a familiar foe. They clashed last August in a friendly that saw the Philippines lose, 2-1 and the two European nations struggling in the recent Euro tourney.

Stajcic, however, begged to disagree.

“They’re all a challenge,” he said. “Playing New Zealand in front of 50,000 fans is gonna be a massive challenge. The pressure of playing a World Cup and playing against a loud, boisterous and engaged crowd is gonna be very difficult.

“Norway [is one of the] perennial heavyweights of women’s football. They have [Ada] Hegerberg who [once won the] Player of the Year [award]. Graham Hansen, for me, is one of the top football players in Barcelona and Barcelona is one of the top two teams in the world.

“Switzerland is about to go through the European phase [and] went through a [World Cup] playoff last week. They’ve got their own key players who we have to negotiate,” he added.

Teams are not the only challenges the Philippines will have to tackle once it arrives in New Zealand for the matches against Norway on July 21 in Dunedin, the hosts on July 25 in Wellington and Switzerland on July 30 in Auckland.

“Ultimately it’s just an exciting experience for us,” Stajcic continued. “We can learn, we can grow as a group together and really embrace this special moment the country is gonna be a part of.”