China flexes muscle in Asia Cup for Women opener

Ria Nabalan. (c/o FIBA-Asia)

China flexed its muscle on the opening day of the FIBA Asia Cup for Women, demolishing the Philippines on Monday night, 143-52.

Eight out of the eleven players Limin Xu fielded scored in double figures, led by Liwei Yang's 21 points.

The eleven-time champions used their massive height advantage against the Gilas Women, amassing a 55-23 rebounding advantage that included a 40-15 mismatch in offensive rebounds.

That dominance extended to other categories, including turnovers, where the Philippines doubled China, 24 to 12.

After a sluggish start, the Pinays managed to stay with the team early on,reducing an early 15-3 deficit to just 22-15, but the Chinese cranked it up once again to end the first quarter trailing 35-17.

It was all downhill from there, with China scoring at will, netting themselves at least 34 points in all quarters, whilst Gilas Women could only 35 points the rest of the game.

Head coach Pat Aquino acknowledged the limited preparations that the squad had in the run-up to the competition, noting that they had a month to get themselves ready for this tournament, compared to their opposition who is fresh from a stint in Tokyo 2020.

Ella Fajardo, who made her senior debut with the national team, added that even if Coach Aquino told them that "they played their hardest," the team knows that they still have "more to bring" in the tournament. The Fairleigh Dickinson true freshman netted six points in just under thirteen and a half minutes.

Afril Bernardino was the lone Filipina in double figures with seventeen points.

The Philippines will even have a tougher hill to climb, as they face off against FIBA Women's World Cup hosts Australia at midnight tonight.

Philippines kicks off FIBA Asia Cup for Women campaign

Gilas Pilipinas Women

The Philippines' hopes to play in the FIBA Women's World Cup in 2022 will commence starting tonight, as Gilas Women face off against China to kickstart their FIBA Asia Cup for Women campaign.

Tip-off for this matchup starts at 9pm, to be shown LIVE on One Sports, One Sports+, and gigafest.smart.

Slotted in Group B with Australia and Chinese-Taipei, the country has a steep hill to climb in its hopes to be among the twelve teams involved in the top tier global competition for women's basketball.

Four spots are allocated to Asia for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournaments, including Australia as the FIBA Women's World Cup hosts. With the eight teams in the Asia Cup Division A split into two groups of four, only the top three teams of each group advance into the knockout rounds, with the top team getting an automatic semifinal bid. As for the two last-placed teams, they will then face off in a relegation battle with the loser moved into Division B.

The squad is led by stalwarts Afril Bernardino, Ria Nabalan, and Clare Castro, and includes newcomers Camille Clarin of National University, and Fairleigh Dickinson University true freshman Ella Fajardo.

Serving as the first obstacle for the Pat Aquino-coached side is China, who has won this competition eleven times, although their last title came in 2011.

PFF praises Malditas performance

The Philippine Senior Women's National Team

The Philippine Football Federation praised the achievements of its Senior Women's National Team, after the squad booked its spot in the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022 on Friday.

Federation president Mariano Araneta shares, "We are truly delighted by this remarkable achievement by our Philippine Women’s National Team. Qualification to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup is a testament to the hard work and sacrifice made by the players and the coaching staff and the support of sponsors and stakeholders. It wasn't an easy journey owing to the fact that the team competed and represented the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We cannot rest on this achievement. We will leave no stone unturned in preparing the team in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, where the Top 5 teams will qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023."

 

The Philippines earned a return trip to the top continental competition for women's football by topping Group F in qualifying, securing 2-1 victories over Nepal and Hong Kong in the past week.

As one of twelve finalists, they have a shot of securing five automatic berths allocated for the Asian Football Confederation to the FIFA World Cup. This allocation already excludes Australia, which locked in a berth as the World Cup co-hosts with New Zealand. An additional two more spots are allocated to an Intercontinental Tournament, for which the last three berths are at stake.

Philippines secures Asian Cup berth in women's football

Tahnai Annis

Signed. Sealed. Delivered.

The Philippines secured its spot in the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022 berth with a 2-1 victory over Hong Kong on Friday at the JAR Stadium in Tashkent.

With Hong Kong coming off a goalless draw against Nepal on Wednesday, the East Asian side needed a victory in order to come out on top of Group F and secure a spot in next year's tournament proper.

Unfortunately, The Filipinas had other plans.

Tahnai Annis put the Philippines ahead after 17 minutes, receiving a cross from Rochelle Mendano and heading it past Ng Cheuk Wai.

Hong Kong would find an equalizer in the 61st minute off an excellently taken free kick by Chung Pui Ki, but Chandler McDaniel restores the Filipina advantage in the 87th minute.

With two wins out of two matches, the Philippines officially locked in a return trip to the top tier continental competition for women's football, which also serves as a qualifying tournament to the 2023 edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup.

The Malditas fell one victory short of qualifying for the last World Cup, but goal is potentially within reach thanks to the expanded field in both the Asian Cup and the World Cup.

Philippines escapes Nepal to open Asian Cup Qualifying

Sara Castaneda

The Philippines needed some late drama to kick off Group F action at the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022 Qualifying, eking out a 2-1 victory over Nepal at the JAR stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Saturday.

Tahnai Annis and Camille Wilson scored the tying and game-winning goals for the Malditas, who trailed nine minutes in after allowing a Bimala Chaudhury header into the net.

Nearing the end of the match the @PilipinasWNFT trailed 1-0 and were close to losing their shot at qualifying for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

But then the Malditas gave us a reminder why you should always play until the final whistle 🇵🇭⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/9LDtQU1iiO

— Paolo del Rosario (@paodelrosario) September 18, 2021

The victory allows the Philippines to vault ahead of idle Hong Kong atop the group with three points, with the top finisher being rewarded a spot in the tournament proper next year.

The Malditas will be interested observers when Hong Kong and Nepal face off on Tuesday, before facing the former on Friday. Both matches will have a 6pm kickoff (Manila time).

The Philippines is seeking to enter the AFC Women's Asian Cup for the tenth time in its history. Their previous appearance in 2018 put them one win short of securing one of the coveted five Asian slots in the FIFA Women's World Cup in France.

Philippines set for Women's World Cup Quest

The Philippines charts its course for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup tonight, as its Senior Women's National Team faces Nepal at the JAR Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan for the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022 Qualifiers.

Kickoff is slated at 6pm, with streaming available here.

Together with Hong Kong, the three nations comprise Group F, with the top finisher securing a berth into the Asian Cup proper that takes place from January 20 to February 6. The outstanding participant would be joining six others in making the

A win here would allow the Malditas to have a leg up on their East Asian counterparts heading into their matchup six days later. The Philippines is hoping to make their tenth appearance.

The Women's Asian Cup serves as a qualifying tournament for the Women's World Cup, which Australia and New Zealand are co-hosting in 2023. With the field expanded to 32 teams, it enhances the possibility for the Philippines to make its debut in the biggest women's football competition on the planet.

FIFA allocated six automatic spots to Asian sides, with Australia earning one spot as a co-host. The remaining five slots will be earned through their respective finishes at the Women's Asian Cup. The next two best teams from the competition qualify into the Inter-Confederation Playoffs that will determine the last teams in the World Cup field.

In the 2019 Women's Asian Cup, the Malditas fell one game short of making the 2019 Women's World Cup, losing to Korea in the fifth-place game, 5-0. Having been at the cusp, the Philippines is focused on ensuring that they will make it this time.

Buoyed by that achievement, the Philippine Football Federation is optimistic they are able to hurdle the obstacles ahead.

"It’s no secret that our goal is to qualify for the Women’s World Cup," said Araneta. "But qualification to the 12-country Asian Cup is also a priority as it means that the team will be in contention for the five spots for Asia in the Women’s World Cup, and we have to control our destiny so we have to make the most of these chances given to us."

Gastanes adds, "We know how big the stakes are for the Women’s National Team to qualify for the Women’s Asian Cup. The team has already made history in recent years, and now we look forward to their journey to qualify for the Women’s World Cup."

Team Manager Jefferson Cheng shares, "Under the circumstances, we gave the team the best preparation that they can get. We are prepared, in high spirits, and we will do our best to achieve our objectives which is to win both matches in this qualifier and to qualify for the Women’s Asian Cup."

Marlon Maro takes charge of the Senior Women's National Team, with 22 players called up.

Opportunity arises for Roel Rosauro in ONE: Revolution

Roel Rosauro

With the stacked featherweight division at ONE Championship, one has to take advantage of every opportunity to be able to move up the ranks.

One such standout will try to seize that chance and run with it.

Roel Rosauro is looking forward for that exact opportunity when he faces James Yang in the lead card of ONE: Revolution, which will take place on September 24 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The Muay Thai specialist from Cebu says, "I expect it to be a bloody fight and may the best man win."

The man called "Akiyama" lost his first two fights in ONE Championship, suffering a first round submission defeat to Li Kai Wen in February 2018 and a unanimous decision to Sunoto three months later.

In spite of the back-to-back defeats, Roel continued to hone his craft, earning a gold medal at the 2018 Philippine International Jiujitsu Open, followed by a silver medal at the Philippine National Games. Those efforts eventually bore fruit with his first win in ONE Championship in January 2020, earning a unanimous decision victory over Yohan Mulia Legowo.

It was a match that fight fans were able to witness what Rosauro is capable of, using strikes, body shots, and low kicks to impress the judges.

Unfortunately for him, the COVID-19 pandemic halted the momentum the victory would have provided. The introduction of quarantine protocols limited movement and restricted activities, including training, since gyms were forced to be closed. It was something that Roel readily acknowledged. "My training has been on and off because of the pandemic. Some days, the gym would be open, but most of the time, it's closed. Sometimes, I'm forced to train at my home, which is also a difficult task on its own."

Amidst those struggles, Rosauro has done all what he can do to prepare against Yang, who is making his professional debut after going unbeaten in five amateur fights. Among the things the Cebuano fine-tuned is his striking, which came in handy in his last fight, as well as his grappling.

When asked about his upcoming opponent, who trains with Demetrious Johnson at AMC Pankration, he shares, "I know he's a good fighter, so I have to really be at my best. But I'm not worried at all because I know all I need is to give it my best."

Rosauro knows that a victory would allow him to move closer to the top contenders in the division, which includes the likes of former two-division champion Martin Nguyen, Christian Lee, and Garry Tonon, and led by its current champion Thanh Le.