Missing the quarterfinals could have deflated the Philippines’ beach handball team. Instead, the Amigas turned disappointment into another upset, adding the United States to a growing list of higher-ranked victims at the IHF Women’s Beach Handball World Championship in Zagreb, Croatia.
Two days after stunning perennial contender Brazil in a dramatic 7-6 shootout following a spirited second-set comeback, the Filipinas made quick work of the Americans, winning 20-18, 12-10 in straight sets to book a place in the classification round for ninth to 12th places.
It was the kind of response good teams produce after a cruel twist of fate.
The Amigas entered their clash with Norway knowing a quarterfinal berth remained mathematically possible. Beat the 2010 world champions, hope Brazil stumbled against reigning ANOC World Games champion Denmark, and the script would write itself.
Norway, however, had other ideas, handing the Filipinas a 2-0 defeat that closed the quarterfinal door before Brazil’s result could even matter.
Rather than dwell on what might have been, the Amigas simply found another statement to make.
Zhalyn Mateo spearheaded the victory with 12 points, while Raina Airul Verginio and Aurora Adriano chipped in six apiece as the Filipinas controlled both sets against the Americans with composure and confidence.
Coach Joanna Franquelli also drew valuable contributions from Daphne Jane Payadon, Josephine Ong, and Shanina Mae Tapawan in another display of the squad’s growing depth.
The victory keeps the Philippines on course to surpass its 12th-place finish in its World Championship debut in China in 2024—a remarkable trajectory for a program still carving out its place among the sport’s traditional powers.
Next comes Uruguay, another straight-set winner over the Cook Islands.
The quarterfinal dream may have slipped through the Amigas’ fingers, but they have made one thing unmistakably clear in Croatia: this team is no longer content with merely showing up. It has become one that established powers can no longer afford to overlook.
