‘We won’t back down’ – Philippines make IHF Beach Handball World Championship debut and mean business

“We fell short, but definitely, surely, we’ll bounce back tomorrow,” these were the words of Philippines’ right wing Camille Sambile to IHF.info after her side had taken Portugal to a shoot-out but lost by the tightest of margins on the opening day of the 2024 IHF Women’s Beach Handball World Championship in Pingtan, China.

Despite the match being the first-ever at any level for the Asian nation at an IHF Beach Handball World Championship, such is the focus from the Asian Championship runners-up that they were disappointed not to have beaten the fourth-placed European Championship side in their very first game.

Five minutes into it, they were 8:2 ahead and cruising – even leading 16:10 with under two minutes left – but the European side brought it all level (16:16) moments before the end of the set to take it to a golden goal.

But that Philippines’ focus showed again as they won the throw-off and Nathalia Prado shot home the single point to confirm a first set victory and hugs on the sidelines.

“It showed everything that we're made of: we won't back down,” said coach Jana Franquelli to ihf.info about that first 10-minute performance.

However, Portugal are a force to be reckoned with and they did not allow any space for their opponents in the second 10-minute spell, taking a clear 22:10 victory.

And so, it went to a shoot-out. After four shots each it was 4:4 and when Aurora Adriano was adjudged to have made a one-point shot to make it 5:4 to her Philippines side, Portugal did not let the opportunity slip as Carolina Loureiro smashed home for the 6:4 win.

“Of course, we wanted to win, but we'll take all the good things,” added Franquelli. “The feeling is you want to win but it’s enough to be proud of the girls. I'm just so proud of them. I said they should come out of this with their heart and their heads high because they did one fantastic job.

“They should be proud of what they have done, the effort of the girls. Coming here (to China), maybe no-one gave us a chance but we got the first set and we just missed the shoot-out by one point. I hope it showed everybody that we belong here.

“I'm proud of what we all achieved today. Yes, there were mistakes on passes, but they followed all the instructions. It's just technical mistakes and I hope we learn from them and bring it tomorrow. I hope winning the first set gave them the confidence that they need and the belief in themselves that they can slug it out with the world's best.”

After the game, which was watched by a number of other women’s teams, including Netherlands, the Philippines were congratulated by the Portuguese players – showing their respect for what had just transpired on the Chinese sand between the two teams.

And for Sambile, who scored the first-ever points for the Philippines at an IHF Beach Handball World Championship, despite initial tears in the immediacy of defeat, she could only think about their next game, against the host nation in the morning, with a wide smile, full of positivity.

“We just need to forget the game, forget the loss and focus on the next game,” said the 32-year-old. “We're going to bounce back tomorrow, we’re ready. I'm happy and excited for the rest of the games and, for sure, there's a lot more of exciting games for our team [to come].

“We lost our game but it's okay, I'm happy. I'm happy for the Philippines and also for my teammates, the hard work of everyone paid off [with that performance in our debut].”