Filipinas head coach Alen Stajcic is confident of the Philippines’ chances of making it to the Last 16, but continued to be wary of former tournament champion Norway ahead of their crucial group stage fixture in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. *The Philippine women's national football team celebrates after beating tournament co-host New Zealand. (PWNFT)*

The now three-time overall World Cup coach believes in the world No. 46 Filipinas’ ability to refocus quickly on the tall task that lies ahead following their maiden win via a Sarina Bolden header against co-host New Zealand, 1-nil, earlier this week. Initially favored to top Group A, the world No. 12 Norwegians, though, sit at the bottom of the standings with a single point behind the Filipinas who managed three points to their name. The Philippines and Norway both suffered defeat in their opening games against Switzerland and New Zealand, respectively. However, the trouble in paradise continued for Norway as star striker Ada Hegerberg walked off the pitch before their kickoff against Switzerland that saw the match end in a scoreless draw, putting their campaign in balance like the rest of the group. The 1995 World Cup winner may be struggling, but the Australian coach refused to simply call it a day for the hopeful debutant. “To be ahead of Norway on the league table after two matches was almost unheard of from any neutral pundit. So, we’re in that position and we’ve earned the right to be in that position. So that gives me a lot of confidence and belief, but, at the same time, I have a lot of respect for them, they are former World Cup winners, they’re former Olympic gold medalists. So, that pedigree within the country and the history of their country in women’s football is enormous,” said Stajcic after the Nationals’ open-door training at Olympic Park, Auckland which according to him went well in good spirits. “Look, the lucky thing is that we’ve been together everyday for 18 months now and we have been to four or five different tournaments or qualifiers. And we’ve learned a routine and have them refocused whether it's a good result or it’s a bad result and that’s really one of the strengths of this team, that we’re able to refocus so quickly and there's a real sense of maturity around this team in that process. It’s one of the real strengths of this team,” he added. Unlike other groups that already saw themselves through the Round of 16, all four nations in Group A are still in the running for a spot in the next round. A perfect scenario for the Philippines to qualify for the knockout stage is to stun Norway or at least settle for a draw while simultaneously hoping that Switzerland turns back New Zealand by any scoreline both on Sunday, July 30. The top seed Swiss and the Filipinas then will advance to the next round. The scenario that will end the Nationals's dreams is getting eliminated with a loss to the Norwegians or if they settle for a draw and the Swiss-Kiwi match also end up with the same scoreline. "This is one of those groups where all four teams can go through and all four teams need a result. Switzerland’s on top and can still lose its spot in the next round. Norway is in the bottom and if any team loses, they are through. So it’s really a unique group, and tight and tough. You know, we gotta be ready for the battle. But the pressure's on everyone, it’ll be equal," he added. Despite being widely expected to struggle in the grandest football showpiece against the highly fancied nations, the Philippines has shown tremendous resilience, held on to history and proved that the World Cup is indeed the perfect stage to produce upsets. “To think of where we have come from, you know when I started here, we were ranked 20-30 places lower. We’ve never beaten or drawn against Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar. And now, we’re winning matches in the World Cup. So, we’ve gone to the stratosphere in 18 months with progression and to be able to keep your composure and belief and confidence throughout that whole time is amazing. The players deserve a lot of credit for how much effort they’ve put into themselves on and off the pitch,” Stajcic said. "In terms of the group, they’re full of confidence and belief and again, they’ve earned the right to feel like that and be in this position. In terms of confidence and also from the we’ve gotta block all that out and just realize we’ve got a wonderful opportunity to further bolster the sport within the Philippines," he added. The Philippines takes on Norway at 3 p.m. at the Eden Park in Auckland while New Zealand faces Switzerland also at the same time at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin to determine who emerges on the top two.