Youngsters Judy Connolly and goalkeeper Samantha Hughes helped the world 59th ranked Philippine women’s national futsal team score its fourth point in the 2025 AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers, eking out a 3-3 draw versus Central Asian powerhouse and world number 18 Uzbekistan in Tashkent on Monday.
With this result, the Philippines is currently second on the Group C table, 2 points behind Australia as of posting time.
Connolly sank a left-footed equalizing goal off a 1v1 with Uzbek skipper Feriza Turdiboeva and intercepted a release on Uzbek star Lyudmila Karachik, while 16-year-old goalkeeper Samantha Hughes hedged to save the latter’s last-second shot.
Connolly’s goal was a quick response seconds after the go-ahead of Uzbekistan national football team’s top scorer Karachik on her.
Connolly then intercepted Karachick’s dangerous dribble on top of the goal, and the Uzbek was denied in the last second by Hughes, who made her 12th save in the second half.
The Philippines had a dream start in the game as Bella Flanigan scored early in the 16:08 mark with another chip from the left flank off a Dionesa Tolentin miss.
Uzbekistan equalized at the 12:52 mark of the first half with Karachik’s fellow football star Nilufar Kudratova scoring off Karachik’s long ball.
Unfazed, the Filipinas had a rapid buildup from the back in the half’s 16th minute leading to Katrina Guillou’s third goal in the tournament off a Bella Flanigan diagonal pass to take the halftime lead over the inaugural Asian Indoor Games champs.
Karachik, scorer of 33 international goals in football, tried to tow her team with a brace in the early and latter parts of the second half but Connolly and Hughes emerged big to place the Philippines in second place in Group C.
The Philippines will next face world number 38 Turkmenistan on Wednesday evening.
Photo Credit: AFC
