Five Takeaways from the Maiden Victory of the Malditas against Thailand

Photo Credits: AFC

A victory for the ages, a win to move on from the previous heartaches, and three points to jumpstart the nation's campaign in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup.

The Philippine Women's National Football Team, after 12 consecutive defeats against their Southeast Asian neighbors, finally notched a victory against Thailand in matchday one of their 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup campaign at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, India.

This moment marks another milestone for the Philippines who's consistently on the rise in football. Let's talk more about this achievement as we bring you our Five Takeaways from the Malditas' maiden victory against Thailand.

1) Chandler McDaniel's redemption strike

Photo Credits: AFC

Bottling up all her hardships since her first try-outs with the national team, 2021 ESBF Women's Footballer of the Year Chandler McDaniel gathered all the strength ala-Goku style and channeled it to a strike from long range in the 81st minute to open the scoring against Thailand and help the Philippines to its first three points in this year's competition.

The power behind that shot made the keeper Waraporn Boonsing spill the ball behind the goal line and gave the Philippines its first win after 17 years of waiting since their first meeting in 2005.

Talking about hardships, McDaniel has been trying to break through the Malditas' squad since 2012 and had a chance to make it to the squad in 2017 but she was cut off. She got called up for the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup but didn't make the final squad.

She then saw her debut with the team on the 18th of September last year and she immediately imposed her will.

Her debut helped the squad win against Nepal with an assist to Tahnai Annis. On her second match with the Malditas, the Matina-born striker scored the game-winning goal against Hong Kong which sealed their passage to the group stages of the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup.

Scoring game-winners seemed to be her specialty nowadays but that's what she's there for. Other than her goal-scoring prowess, she's also working hard to help her side spread the ball from all over the field.

Her dedication and hard work have helped her move up the ranks and make it to the final squad in India. All those years of waiting finally capped off with a goal that will forever be marked in the calendars of every Philippine football fan.

2) Consistency amidst uncertainty

Photo Credits: AFC

Thailand threw everything against the Malditas but it was not enough as the ladies in white matched all of their moves. The opening salvo of the match saw Thailand being on the offensive.

A couple of strikes showed some signs of danger but the Philippines were up to the challenge. The Philippines then had the chance to go for the counter through their quick passing and long balls upfront.

Debutant Katrina Guillou almost scored her first goal for the country only to be judged offside. This was the first real threat from the Malditas who kept attacking despite having a lot of pressure from the Thais.

The second half saw Thailand up the ante a bit to get the much-needed advantage against the Malditas but the ladies are not letting them through. Despite being forced to be on the defensive, the Malditas still went on to go for the kill.

This type of consistency confused Thailand as they haven't expected the ladies to hold on for long and will just crumble towards the end of the match. The ladies in white pulled out their reverse card and caught the Thais on the counter-attack whenever there's a chance.

Then we all knew what happened in the 81st minute. A rocket launched by McDaniel first found Boonsing's gloves but found the lucky bounce past the goal line and gave the Philippines its first win against Thailand.

3) Stajcic, you're the man!!!

Photo Credits: AFC

The Malditas shrugged off any first-game jitters when they faced Thailand and felt like they had dominated the Thais in some parts of the match. All of these wouldn't happen if not for the masterclass brought in by Alen Stajcic.

Since his appointment to the Philippine Women's National Football Team, the Malditas received nothing short of high hopes ahead of the AFC Women's Asian Cup. Stajcic may have been the missing piece that the women's national team has been looking for.

From preparation to execution, the difference in how the Malditas play over the last few years has been very significant. So huge that they managed to hold the Thais to a scoreless match and win against them as well.

His first real test though will be the game against Australia, a squad that he previously handled. In their opening match in the competition, the Matildas pummeled Indonesia and won 18 goals to nil.

It would be interesting how Stajcic will lay out his players against the 2010 champions knowing that they went out the gate strong. It would also be exciting to see how the Malditas will defend against Australia's top scorer Sam Kerr, who just fired five goals against Indonesia.

4) Preparation coming to fruition

Photo Credits: AFC

After qualifying for the Women's Asian Cup, the Malditas just took a month's break and spent the last two months preparing for the biggest mission in their lives; a qualification to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

This meant that the ladies spent the holiday season away from their families but closer to one another as they continue to form that bond amongst them. This was evident last night as the Malditas never left a woman behind.

Whenever Thailand is on attack and they're getting out of shape, the Malditas will find a way to fill in the gap to prevent any goalscoring opportunity. Everyone's playing for the team and not for their own individual interests.

The fact that the Malditas are now spoiled for options upfront with McDaniel, Quezada, and even Guillot threatening the opponents showed us that the training camp indeed molded them into better players than they were originally before they arrived in the US. In the past, the Malditas can't seem to find their identity but with Stajcic's guidance, the national team may have already found the shepherd for the lost sheep.

5) Malditas or Filipinas?

Photo Credits: AFC

This may have been an issue that hasn't been tackled much but the ongoing clamor for what monicker should we be really using for our Philippine Women's National Team has been revived ahead of its first match in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup.

There has been some confusion amongst the fans on which should we really follow. Should we call them Malditas or Filipinas? To help settle the score about this debate, we get to ask the one who gave them the monicker in the past.

Coach Ernest Nierras of Stallion Laguna FC coached the women's national team back from 2011 to 2013 where they managed to win the 2012 LA Viking Cup. He told ESBF "I'm the one who gave them that (Malditas) name."

When asked about the issue about what monicker should the national team be called, he said, "What people don't understand is that it has nothing to do with the name, but the attitude behind the name. Will it make them play better or harder?"

He also added, "You will never see Malditas on the scoreboard. But if the name was able to bring attention to what women's football can do for our country, then well and good. Instead of focusing on the name, why don't people show 100% support for the PWNT?"

That statement alone hit hard and it hit home. Regardless of the monicker, each and every Filipino football fan should be rooting for the women's national team. No. Each and every Filipino football fan should be rooting for our national teams be it the women's, men's, or even our age-group squads.

The growth of the sport in the country doesn't only rely on the hands of the ones in the federation but also on those who support it. The federation can only do so much let alone our national squads. If they don't get support from us, then whatever they are doing is just useless and senseless. Remember, the success of the national team is the success of a nation trying to find its footing in this global sport.

The country has been in rebuilding mode for over 10 years now and the Malditas' shot at the World Cup qualifying spot could be the best thing that could happen to the nation's program since the Azkals' qualification to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. No monicker, let alone any individual is bigger than the national team and its goal and ambitions.