PASIG — Indonesia proved to be the bane in the Philippines once again as it eked out a 2-1 win on the penultimate day of the AFF Women’s Futsal Championship at the PhilSports Arena, Wednesday evening.

The visitors had dumped the hosts out of the five-nations tilt with a late winner, as Nisma Rusdiana broke Filipino hearts after getting past Samantha Hughes with 1:11 remaining in the second half.

As a result, the Pinay5 not only missed out on a rematch with the Indonesians for a place in the podium on Thursday, it also sent them to the bottom of the five-nation tournament after they lost out to Myanmar on inferior goal difference, despite having a point shared owing to their 2-2 draw on opening day.

Alya Hendrita’s seventh-minute opener was canceled out by Isabella Bandoja five minutes later, as the Pinay5 looked to get a result against the team that beat them twice in the Tri-Nations tournament last year.

Both Hughes and Mykaella Abeto held their fort in goal, yet it was the lack of bite in front of goal that let the Filipinas down with Lanie Ortillo and Jada Bicierro missing several opportunities to go ahead.

“I think when we see the chances, I think we must win this game,” lamented Philippines mentor Vic Hermans after a grueling match.

With the inaugural staging of the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup exactly a year away, the Dutch coach hopes for a committed effort in improving the team moving forward

“We have time, I say, until May [2025], and then I must be ready for six months,” he concluded.

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