Malditas succumb to the brute force of the Matildas

(image credits: AFC)

It was fun while it lasted but Australia's dominance was once again on display this time against the Philippine Women's National Football Team to solidify their passage to the knockout stages.

The Malditas, after a solid performance in their opening match in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup, went out with their heads held high against one of the best nations in Asia looking for a possible upset.

On the other hand, the Matildas wanted to impose their will and solidify their grasp at the top spot in group B after an 18-0 demolition job against Indonesia. As soon as the referee started the match, the Matildas were eager to push for the early goal.

Six minutes into the match though, it seemed like the Malditas wanted it more. Chandler McDaniel, who scored the winning goal against Thailand went close to scoring the opening goal after a lovely through ball from Sarina Bolden but her strike just went fizzing past the left post.

A minute later, Castañeda took a chance of her own but Teagan Micah saved it with relative comfort. From then on, it was all Matildas. Kyah Simon took a shot close range but Kiara Fontanilla made a wonderful save.

(image credits: AFC)

Australia's current top goalscorer Sam Kerr went for the opener by she headed the ball out wide in the 29th minute. Two minutes later, she will try again but team captain Hali Long parried it away.

The Matildas continued to apply the pressure in the 35th minute with Caitlin Foord taking a strike from outside the box but went sailing over the bar. Clare Polkinghorne gave the Philippines a real scare with her attempt from close-range which went really close in rolling into the back of the net but fortunately, hit the left post.

The first half ended scoreless which could be taken as a huge victory already for the Philippines. However, Australia had other plans in the second half. Six minutes into the second half, Kerr scored the opening goal off a Steph Catley corner. They would add on to their lead just a couple of minutes later as Dominique Randle inadvertently headed the ball onto her own net, trying to clear out a searching Matildas cross from the left side.

From that moments, the Aussies came out more aggressively to add another, but Fontanilla was able to parry Kerr's attempt in the 57th minute. Malditas head coach Alen Stajcic brought on added firepower in Katrina Guillou, Anicka Castaneda, Malea Cesar, and Tara Shelton in the following minutes to try and rejuvenate the offense but the Matildas were quick to stop any offensive endeavors.

(image credits: AFC)

However, the Matildas' quality was just too much for the Philippines to handle as they added two more goals, with Emily van Egmond heading home after a scrappy defensive sequence on 67 minutes and Mary Fowler scoring on a powerful strike on 88 minutes, which left the Malditas defense stunned.

Despite the loss, Stajcic was immensely proud of the Malditas' performance against an elite Matildas side which was a program that's been put together for the last 10-12 years. In the post-match press conference, he expressed his appreciation for the Filipinas. "We prove that we can be a hard team to beat, a resilient team", he said.

Furthermore, Stajcic also channeled the desire of the players to get a respectable result against the Matildas, who he has coached for five years before taking the helm for the Filipinas. "They want to be inspirational to the next generation. Hopefully we can give the Philippines some inspiration that they can play at the World Cup, in the future", he added.

Indonesia awaits the Philippines on their final group stage assignment on Thursday night, with a quarterfinal slot looming in the horizon for the Malditas if they win.