ANOTHER landmark milestone has been achieved by the Philippine women’s football team, this one made extra special by the presence of the fans on home soil.
Philippines vs Thailand recap
The Filipinas delivered their first major title just six months after their historic AFC Women’s Asian Cup campaign, defeating Thailand, 3-0, on Sunday night to capture the 2022 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship title behind an animated crowd at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Goals by Jessika Cowart and Katrina Guillou in the first half sparked the Filipinas to their first-ever title in the Southeast Asian football scene under the tutelage of head coach Alen Stajcic and seen by a tournament-high 8,257 home fans at the Rizal venue.
In a fitting conclusion to their impressive campaign, Sarina Bolden scored her eighth goal of the tournament on another corner late in the match, putting an exclamation point to the title victory.
The feat was achieved nearly a year before the Filipinas compete in the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup scheduled July 20 to August 20 in Australia and New Zealand, a berth they earned by reaching the semifinals of the Asian Cup last January in India.
The Philippines was also coming off a bronze finish in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, the first time the country took home a medal in the biennial meet since 1985.
But the first AFF title will definitely go down as one of sweetest victories of the fast-rising team with throngs of supporters that braved the downpour hours before the match as the backdrop for this coronation.
PWNT also beat a Thailand squad that has previously won four AFF crowns, and defeated the Philippines, 1-0, during the group stage just last Tuesday.
The Philippines, once again, thrived on set pieces, while not giving Thailand a clear chance at goal all-match long.
Cheers erupted very early as Cowart headed home the team’s first corner of the match in the 7th minute. The Philippines scored the second goal as Guillou slid the ball after a scramble in the 19th, enough to avenge their only loss of the tournament.
The Filipinas scored on another header on a corner made by Bolden in the 88th minute, sparking a celebration from the spectators.
Earlier, Myanmar took third place with a stunning 4-3 win over dethroned champion Vietnam.
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