Filipinas open their Olympic qualifiers with a solid win against Pakistan
A dominating first half set the tone for the Philippine Women's National Football Team as they opened their 2024 Olympics Qualifiers campaign with a win against Pakistan inside the Hisor Central Stadium in Tajikistan.
The calm and collected Filipinas did not rush into getting the lead as they organized their attack to set up some lethal strikes against the ranked 161st in the world.
It didn't take long for the FIFA Women's World Cup debutants to score as Hali Long gave them the lead in the 21st minute. Four minutes after the opener, Sarina Bolden got her groove back with a header thanks to an exquisite cross from Eva Madarang.
Showing complete control of the ball and the game, the Filipinas continued to pile on the pressure against Pakistan and got their third goal right before the 30th-minute mark.
Madarang, who had her debut with the Filipinas in Tajikistan back in 2017 during the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifiers, gave the ladies in blue their third goal of the match after a rocket of a shot from outside the box.
Photo by: Philippine Women's National Football Team
As the first half closes, Pakistan just couldn't get their passes flowing which made it easier for the Filipinas' backline as well as Kiara Fontanilla who didn't seem to break a sweat the entire match.
The second half provided some difference as Pakistan managed to hold off the Filipinas' attack by organizing their backline and stopping the ball in the midfield. However, their defense would only hold out until the 85th minute as the returning Chandler McDaniel's sweet but lethal smile was introduced in the 60th minute.
McDaniel would then score the final nail in the coffin for the Filipinas after Quinley Quezada fed an incisive through ball to the path of McDaniel giving her enough space to score in her return after recovering from an ACL injury.
The match also saw the international debut of 16-years old dynamic midfielder Bella Pasion who was in the thick of the action throughout the match. She also had a couple of shots on goal but both unluckily hit the crossbar.
With full three points and +4 in goal difference, the Filipinas sit at the top of the table as they await the result of the match between the hosts Tajikistan and Hong Kong.
Only the group winners in the first round of qualifying will progress to the second round where powerhouses Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, and the likes await them.
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