Former Matildas coach Alen Stajcic has masterminded the Philippines to their greatest moment in football, guiding their women's team to a first ever Asian Cup semi-final.
On a historic night which saw goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel make two saves and score one in the 4-3 penalty shootout win over Chinese Taipei, the Philippines also booked a berth in the FIFA Women's World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, for the first time.
"It's an unbelievable achievement by the group, and a moment in history for the country, you won't be able to take that away from the group," Stajcic said.
"For now, every young kid back at home in the Philippines can be inspired to get to the World Cup themselves. The group is really proud of each other, but they're even more proud to inspire the next generation."
In the final four they will face Korea Republic, who were shock 1-0 winners over the Matildas earlier on Sunday, in the semi-finals on Thursday.
Three-time Asian Cup winners Chinese Taipei went behind in the 48th minute when Quinley Quezeda redirected Katrina Guillou's header past goalkeeper Cheng Ssu-Yu from close range.
Chinese Taipei's determination was finally rewarded in the 82nd minute when Zhuo Li-Ping found the top right corner of the net from 25 yards out to force the match into extra time.
Neither side were able to break the deadlock in the extra 30 minutes with McDaniel's heroics eventually seeing the Philippines prevailing.
Japan, the two-time defending champions, will face China in the other semi after 7-0 and 3-1 wins over Thailand and Vietnam respectively.
