The Philippine national women's futsal team. Handout/PFF
MANILA -- The Philippines is off to a winning start in the AFC Women's Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers, cruising past Kuwait 4-1 on Saturday at the Yunusobod Sport Complex in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Katrina Guillou, a mainstay for the Philippine women's football team, showed that her quality is also there on the court as she opened the scoring for the Philippines in the second minute.
Bella Flanigan and Inday Tolentin padded the Filipinas' advantage before Kuwait got on the board through Shrouq Mohammad.
It was too little, too late for Kuwait, however, and another goal by Guillou at the 38:12 mark completed the scoring.
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With the win, the Philippines is tied with Australia at the top of Group C, with both teams having three points. Australia has the superior goal difference of +5 to the Filipinas +3.
The Filipinas will return to action on Monday against host Uzbekistan.
The Philippines brought an overhauled squad to the tournament, with Spaniard Rafa Merino having replaced Vic Hermans as head coach.
Their participation in the qualifiers is part of the team's preparations for the FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup, which the Philippines will host later this year.
A total of 18 teams -- divided into four groups -- are taking part in the qualifiers. The top two teams in each group, as well as the best third-placed teams, will advance to the 2025 AFC Women's Futsal Asian Cup scheduled for May 7-18 in China.