The Philippines returns to action on Tuesday needing to produce better results that could bolster its medal chances in the Asean Football Federation Women’s Futsal Championship at Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Dubbed the Pinay5, the national squad takes on Vietnam at 7 p.m. in a game that may play a crucial role in its title bid in the tournament that also serves as preparation for next year’s Fifa Women’s Futsal World Cup, which will also be played here.

Following Vietnam, the Philippines concludes the elimination phase on Wednesday against Indonesia. The top two teams advance to the final while the next two face off for third place.

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The fifth-and-last-ranked team will be eliminated from medal contention.

Harsh defeat

Vietnam will come in as favorites after a convincing 5-2 win over Myanmar and is poised to beat Indonesia handily in a game that was being played at press time.

Coach Vic Hermans’ side salvaged a 2-2 draw against Myanmar in Saturday’s opener but suffered a harsh 7-0 defeat the following day at the hands of Thailand, ranked sixth in the Fifa futsal rankings.

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Agot Danton scored the equalizing goal for the Pinay5 with seven minutes left in the second half against Myanmar to produce a point after allowing two goals that negated the opener of Isabella Bandoja.

But the Philippines found itself behind early against Thailand, which scored four goals in the first half on its way to a second straight win.

Futsal is an indoor version of the beautiful game played in a turf with 20-minute halves. The clock is stopped whenever the ball is out of play. INQ