LIVING up to the hype, the Philippine women’s football team outclassed Iran, 6-0, on Tuesday night at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh to kick off its Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign on an high note.
A three-goal lead erected in the first five minutes practically determined the outcome in favor of the Malditas, who are parading arguably their strongest lineup ever.
Jesse Shugg fired a brace, while Heather Cooke, Megan Jurado, Joana Houplin registered in the scoring column as well for the Malditas, who also drew an own goal from Iran.
Surprisingly, the Filipinas’ impressive performance wasn’t even the best showing on opening day of the competition, where the winner gains entry to the main tournament next year.
Thailand trounced host team, 9-0, in the day’s other game.
The Thais are the Malditas’ next opponent, with the Southeast Asian neighbors colliding on Thursday.