Coach Alen Stajcic called it one of the biggest victories in the sporting history of the Philippines after his side claimed a historic first Women's World Cup win.
The footballing minnows stunned co-hosts New Zealand 1-0 thanks to a first-half Sarina Bolden header in front of 32,357 in Wellington yesterday.
New Zealand, ranked 20 places higher than their opponents, created a string of second-half chances and had a goal disallowed but the Philippines held on.
It was the Philippines' first victory at either a men's or women's World Cup and blows Group A wide open.
"In the history of Philippines team sport I don't know if there has been a bigger win," said their Australian coach, who had already masterminded a debut World Cup finals appearance. "It would have to be one of the best achievements in the history of the country."
US-born goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel, who was named player of the match, said: "It means everything to us. We knew that New Zealand were going to come in hard off the momentum from their win against Norway, but we couldn't have asked for better.
"We can't stop now, we have much more work to do," McDaniel added, with a spot in the last 16 now in view.
The Philippines, ranked 46th in the world, are guaranteed to go through if they can beat Norway on Sunday.
Stajcic called the landmark win "emotional for all of us. It's unbelievable".
"Of course we rode our luck. New Zealand had three or four unbelievable chances and the VAR call," he added, referring to a disallowed goal in the second half.
"The unity and work rate and heart from the team was special. We had some luck, but we also earned our luck."
On the eve of the game, Stajcic had said the team wanted to "crash the party" against a New Zealand side on a high after their opening 1-0 win over Norway.
The Philippines, beaten 2-0 by Switzerland on their World Cup debut, were as good as their word and scored the only goal after 24 minutes to stun the home crowd.
"It's so heartbreaking," said New Zealand coach Jitka Klimkova. "We were fighting until the end, but it wasn't enough."
Hundreds of Filipino fans celebrated wildly back home and some cried after the win.
Minds were already turning to the game against Norway, with the Philippine Football Federation urging fans to show their support. "The fight is not yet over," the federation said on Facebook.
