The Philippine women's national football team ahead of their friendly vs. Uzbekistan, October 29, 2025 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Handout/PFF-PWNFT
MANILA -- The Philippine women's national football team could not build on a fast start and surrendered a late goal to settle for a 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan in a friendly on Wednesday night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The Filipinas squandered a two-goal cushion, with Uzbekistan's Diyorakhon Khabibullaeva striking twice to stun the home crowd.
It was a tough result for the Filipinas, ranked 39th in the world, who were coming off a ten-day training camp in Manila and were building up for future competitions, including the Southeast Asian Games in December.
The night started on a promising note, with Chandler McDaniel finding the back of the net just two minutes into the match, off a fine pass from Meryll Serrano.
Serrano doubled their lead in the 56th minute, but the Filipinas would be made to pay for their failure to convert other chances.
Khabibullaeva stunned Olivia McDaniel with a long-range effort off a free kick in the 67th minute, and a poor clearance by the Filipinas allowed the Uzbek striker to equalize just nine minutes from time.