SARINA Bolden scored a hat-trick as the Philippines made up for a horror goal conceded in the first half to beat Indonesia, 4-1, on Sunday night and clinch a semifinal berth in the 2022 AFF Women's Championship.
The Filipinas stayed unbeaten after four matches to book a place in the semifinals before their much-anticipated clash in Group A against Thailand on Tuesday.
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There were some anxious moments though in the first half at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Despite dominating possession for the most part of the first half, the Philippines gave up its first goal of the tournament after a blunder by goalkeeper Inna Palacios led to Pattinasarany giving Indonesia a 1-0 lead.
But the Filipinas went on attack mode with Tahnai Annis equalizing in the 48th, and it was all Bolden from there.
Bolden scored the goals in the 58th, 65th, and 67th for her second international hat trick, raising to five her goals in the tournament.
Head coach Alen Stajcic lauded the recovery of the squad which augurs well for the team ahead of the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
“You have to really give credit to Indonesia. I thought they deserve the lead at the half. They look hungrier and their counterattacks were threatening. If I was the coach, I would be really happy,” said Stajcic.

“But for us not to play our best game and come out in the second half and show our resilience is a really good quality and probably one of the most important qualities you can have in the team, to be able to bounce back and remain composed and calm and stick to your principles,” said Stajcic.
A win by the Filipinas on Tuesday will enable them to take the No. 1 spot in Group A where they will face the second-seed in Group B in the semifinals set on Friday.
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