Beaten but not defeated: Filipinas lauded after close loss to Australia in Asian Cup opener

Filipinas forward Katrina Gulliou (left) being defended by Australia's Katrina Gorry (right) in the opening match of the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup. (Photo: AFC)

The Philippine women’s national football team left the Perth Stadium with no points, yet could still hold their heads high. 

On Sunday, March 1, at the same venue where they absorbed a humbling 8-0 defeat to host Australia during the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in October 2023, the Filipinas fell again to the Matildas. 

This time, though, a different story unfolded.

The Philippines only lost 1-0 in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. Sam Kerr, Australia’s all-time leading scorer across all genders, rose above the defense in the 14th minute and powered a header in front of her hometown crowd. It proved to be the only breakthrough in a one-sided match.

Australia has kept the Filipinas in their own half for most of the match. Strikingly, the Matildas tallied 119 final-third entries – their highest tally since producing 121 in a 2-2 draw against Thailand in the 2018 Asian Cup, according to Stats Perform’s OptaJason.

Still, the Philippines bent but rarely broke.

“Whilst it may be easy to lead a heavy investigation into Australia’s questionable attacking prowess, it is certainly important to give the Philippines the credit they deserve. Defensively sound and watertight in their organisation, Mark Torcaso’s side were well-drilled at the back,” wrote football journalist Jamie Spangher, chief editor of The Halfway Line, in her report.

Veteran correspondent Ryan Fenix echoed the same sentiments, touting that the Filipinas’ “collective defensive effort” more than compensated for the individual gap due to player quality. Most members of the Australian squad play professionally in Europe’s top leagues. The Philippine side, by contrast, features a mix of veterans and rising talents still carving out their international identities. 

“Before the game, Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso promised “to be annoying and constantly be pushing,” and as the game wore on, it became very evident that the players were following the instructions to the letter by blocking passing lanes and being quick to close down any potential threats,” he said in his GMA Sports story. 

Torcaso, who succeeded Australian compatriot Alen Stajcic after the Philippines’ maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup appearance, saw growth rather than defeat.

“The last time we played here, it was a lot more than that,” he said, as reported by Tiebreaker Times. “Credit to the girls and credit to all the hard work they’ve put in — not only in the last month, but also in the last six months to a year to get to this point where we want to qualify for another World Cup.”

For the Filipinas, the fight goes to book a return trip to the global showpiece.

Up next for them is a familiar adversary: South Korea. The Taegeuk Ladies ended the Philippines’ historic run in the 2022 Asian Cup semifinals.

Facing yet another daunting task, Filipinas goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel hoped they could build on their encouraging result to keep the quarterfinal race open in Group A. 

“We’re just going to look to get better and better each game,” said McDaniel, who had 18 saves, as quoted by Inquirer Sports. “We’ve got to come away with some wins in the next games so we can get ourselves out of the group.”