Following a convincing comeback victory over Indonesia on Sunday, April 10, the Philippines is continuing its miraculous run in this year’s AFF Women’s Championship.
A mistake by Filipina goalkeeper Inna Palacios allowed Carla Bio Pattinasarany to score the game’s first goal in the 37th minute, giving the Indonesian team a 1-0 lead going into the second half after a disastrous and lackluster performance in the first.
At the 48th minute, team captain Tahnai Annis took advantage of a cross intended for forward Isabella Flanigan and put the ball in the back of the net to tie the score with Indonesia.
The Sarina Bolden show took over again after that.
After an outstanding hat trick performance, the midfielder from Santa Clara, California ensured that they would remain unbeaten in the competition.
Bolden’s goal in the 58th minute ignited her energetic performance. She added a second goal seven minutes later, and in the 67th minute, she scored the game-winning goal, all of which came off fantastic assists from her teammates.
Throughout this tournament, the Filipinas made counter-attacking football their main selling point by quickly and repeatedly capitalizing on the Indonesians’ untimely mistakes to put them on the back foot.
They pelted Indonesian goalkeeper Prihatini with 24 shots as opposed to just three, showing off their aggression, which was another important factor in the comeback.
Before their match against Thailand on Tuesday, July 12, the Filipinas staged an epic comeback to secure their place in the AFF Women’s Championships’ knockout rounds.
To keep their lead in Group A, they only need to at least draw with Thailand.
The Philippines stunned Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Pune, India, earning them a spot in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It has been an unlikely year for women’s football in the Philippines.
They then surpassed the men’s team in the competition for the nation’s first-ever World Cup appearance, and their performance also earned them their highest ranking ever at No. 53 in the world.
Although Thailand plays at a similar pace to the Filipinas, they do have a slight advantage over the hosts in terms of experience thanks to their four championships.
Furthermore, it’s important to note that the Philippines has never placed third in the AFF Women’s Championships.
When all is said and done, this current crop of Filipinas could add another honor to their growing list of accomplishments as the tournament nears its conclusion and the final match is played on Sunday, July 17, at 7:30 PM (Philippine Standard Time).
On July 10, 2022, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, Philippines, during the Group Stage of the 2022 AFF Women’s Championship, midfielder Sarina Bolden reacts after scoring her third goal against Indonesia.
