SARINA Bolden hit a brace as the Philippines opened the second round of the AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament with a 4-1 win over Chinese Taipei on Thursday at the Perth Rectangular Stadium.
Bolden scored her 27th and 28th international goal for the Philippines to spark the comeback after the Filipinas conceded the first goal of the match.
The Group A win comes as a big confidence boost for the Filipinas ahead of a crucial clash with World Cup semifinalist and host Australia on Sunday at the 60,000-seater Perth Stadium.
The winner of the match will get the inside track on a berth in the third and final round of Olympic qualifiers, where the top teams in the three groups as well as the top second-placer will advance.
In their first clash since its historic win on penalties in the quarterfinals of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup to clinch a berth in the Fifa Women’s World Cup, the Philippines found itself in a scoreless tie with Chinese Taipei at the end of one half.
The second half began with Hsu Yi-yun putting Chinese Taipei on the board first by scoring in the 47th minute.
But the Filipinas got a golden chance when Meryll Serrano was brought down inside the box for a penalty. They turned to their top striker for the spot kick and Bolden easily connected for the equalizer in the 53rd minute.
After two offsides including one that disallowed her goal in the first half, Katrina Guillou finally scored on a lovely through ball by Tahnai Annis, six minutes after that Bolden goal.
The Filipinas also got a big break when Lee Hsiu-chin’s attempt grazed the top right post in the 82nd minute.
Bolden then build a two-goal cushion, striking again in the 83rd minute, and celebrating it in front of a group of Filipinas fans that were on the stands.
Substitute Chandler McDaniel then scored the insurance goal in the 90th.
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