Filipinas' first World Cup win: how it happened

Where were you on that glorious, victorious Tuesday afternoon?

The Philippine women’s national football team defeated co-hosts New Zealand, 1-0 at the Wellington Regional Stadium.

PHOTO CREDIT: Pilipinas Women's National Football Team

With Woman of the Match Olivia McDaniel rising once again to the occasion, and with Sarina Bolden coming up with a goal that has reverberated the world over, the Filipinas have added another page in its book of HERstoric moments.

Here is an attempt at breaking down the action that unfolded.

Pre-Match

This is the Filipinas’ first-ever World Cup, and every match was going to be difficult. But even since the groups were drawn, many felt that if the Filipinas were to take away anything from the tournament, it would be from this New Zealand match.

The Football Ferns were on a high after beating powerhouse side Norway 1-0 in their opener, while the Filipinas looked to take positives despite a 2-0 defeat to Switzerland.

Coach Alen Stajcic fielded the same lineup that started against the Swiss in Dunedin days ago, so there was the expectation that the same 5-3-2 base shape would be used.

Structure

Staj looked to change things up in this match, defending more in a 4-4-2, instead of the 5-3-2 last match. We do not know for sure why, but I speculate that perhaps there was a bit more confidence in taking the game to New Zealand. The Filipinas didn’t sit too deep unless under much pressure.

With this change, Jessika Cowart moved into central midfield alongside Jaclyn Sawicki, and for the most part, did not drop back into central defense.

Filipinas' average positions vs New Zealand. PHOTO CREDIT: Sofascore

Sara Eggesvik still played wide on the left instead of her usual central role, opposite Quinley Quezada. The midfield plus the strike duo of Sarina Bolden and Katrina Guillou helped constrict the central spaces in the buildup and presented themselves as outlets on the counter.

Early Minutes

Both sides were feeling each other out, and while both sides deployed 4-4-2 shapes, New Zealand had more of the ball.

The Filipinas continued from where they left off, with Bolden and Guillou marking the Ferns midfielder Steinmetz and Percival (2v2), and the defensive line paying close attention to goalscorer Hannah Wilkinson.

Diagram of the Filipinas' structure against New Zealand.

New Zealand exploited their physicality, and their 4-4-2 made them naturally more prone to deliver crosses through their wingers. Under pressure, one of the wide midfielders (Eggesvik or Quezada, depending on which side the ball is) would act as the first defender in a pseudo-back five.

There is also a clear difference in the approach from both sides: whereas the Filipinas were more patient and less aggressive in pressing, the Ferns sought to win the ball back as fast as possible.

They forced 1v1s on the ground given their strength advantage. But inevitably, this runs the risk of committing fouls.

The Goal Heard Around the World

PHOTO CREDIT: Opta Analyst

Percival fouled Quezada in the 23rd minute, leading to a free kick from quite some distance for Angela Beard. It was partially cleared, but Eggesvik had the ball on the edge of the box. She then played it towards Bolden who powered past multiple defenders for the finish.

Eggesvik is one of the team’s more natural playmakers, and that assist exemplified her role very well, even with such a tight angle, and in a scrappy scenario as well. Given her recent struggles (space and time to create is a luxury at a high level), it’s great to see her ability shine here.

Bolden also wasn’t in the best form at club level, but entered the tournament as the country’s biggest goal threat. And she has delivered once more, never shying away from the big moments: whether it be the 2018 Asian Cup opener, the penalty to send the Filipinas into the World Cup, and of course, this one.

Immediate Response

New Zealand continued on, but their 4-4-2 shape did not maximize their impact. For one, there were no out-and-out wingers to stretch the Philippines’ back four.

The Filipinas adjusted by overloading on defense, depending on where the ball is. As many as four players (forward, wide midfielder, central midfielder, and fullback) closest to the ball applied this pressure.

For instance, the Kiwis used their left side often, so it was Guillou, Quezada, Cowart, and Barker who looked to isolate the threat. The rest of the players adjusted accordingly to keep the middle tight.

Diagram of a common wide defensive overload executed by the Filipinas.

These overloads helped force turnovers: and with a goal scored, the Filipinas had confidence going forward. First was a sequence on the left with Eggesvik, Bolden, and Harrison combining in the 29th minute, then Guillou pounced on a misplaced pass just before halftime.

The Kiwis looked to pull one back, but perhaps they needed to change things up.

After the Half

The Football Ferns made two changes after the break, with both wide midfielders replaced. Olivia Chance replaced Indiah-Paige Riley on the left, while Annalie Longo made it a trio in central midfield, and Jacqui Hand moved to the right.

Their 4-3-3 shape meant that there were now pure wingers in position to stretch the Filipinas' defense, while also having an advantage in central midfield (3 vs the Filipinas’ 2). That was what led them to gain more momentum.

PHOTO CREDIT: Opta Analyst

However, the Philippines’ defense stood firm as the overloads continued. Between the 45th and 75th minute marks, New Zealand created 9 crosses, none of which were successful. And even with their possession, they were limited to 4 shots in that period.

Game Management

Something had to be done with New Zealand’s onslaught late in the match, and Stajcic’s changes late on were crucial.

Ryley Bugay was brought on as a like-for-like sub for Cowart, Dom Randle was subbed in to shore up the defense while Tahnai Annis came on to calm things down and help with ball retention.

But perhaps the changes that gave the match a bit more edge were Carleigh Frilles and Bella Flanigan.

This was a combination nine months in the making: in one friendly against Costa Rica, Coach Alen started them together. While the result was a 2-1 defeat (where Frilles scored, but the two were eventually subbed off), it became clear that this was a viable pressing unit.

And when called upon on the big stage, the duo delivered, pressing the tiring Ferns at the back and forcing some high turnovers.

They created two chances in a short span, and while execution was far from ideal (Flanigan’s misplaced cutback and Frilles’ wayward shot), pressuring the Kiwis was more than enough.

The lead was already there, and more importantly, it relieves pressure off the defense. Although it would’ve been nice to score one more.

The Save

New Zealand continued pushing the Filipinas back. At this point looked like they were due a goal, coming close on a number of occasions. Time was no longer on their side, though.

But in stoppage time, this happened:

PHOTO CREDIT: One Sports

No analysis for this one. Just Olivia McDaniel things.

Summary

First World Cup, first goal, first win.

The Philippines did well to bank on the positives of a creditable defensive performance against Switzerland. Patient, organized work off the ball organization led to counter-attacks. With confidence from the first goal, the team was able to take the game to the co-hosts more.

The team can continue making history and reach the knockouts, but the chances are slim. But then again, years ago, did anyone really expect the Filipinas to qualify for the World Cup now? Did anyone see this win coming?

The Filipinas have dared this country to dream.

And on this Sunday, dare I say: bring on Norway.