PWNFT aims for more history in WAC semifinal against Korea Republic

Coming off a historic victory that sends them to their first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup next year, the Philippine Women's National Football Team will look to take another Asian giant down as they take on the Korea Republic this afternoon at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune.

After making waves across the basketball-mad nation by defeating Chinese Taipei on penalties last Sunday to punch their World Cup ticket, the Malditas hopes to take their momentum to produce another fine performance against the Koreans who have emerged to be one of the favorites to win the tournament after defeating Australia in their quarterfinal encounter as well last Sunday.

Led by Chelsea's Ji So-yun and Tottenham Hotspur's Cho So-hyun, the Koreans will prove to be a premier test for the Malditas as they haven't tasted a defeat yet in the tournament, finishing as runner-up in Group C. They eventually found their way to the semifinal by upsetting the heavily-favored Matildas side, with Ji's emphatic strike from outside the penalty box securing a tight but deserved 1-0 win.

Furthermore, Korea Republic holds the edge on defensive stability as they only conceded one goal in their campaign so far, which will pose a challenge to the Filipinas' attacking line which will be bannered by Sarina Bolden and Chandler McDaniel.

Despite the odds and results favoring the opponent, the Malditas will look to bank on the confidence gained from their campaign so far to match the Koreans and get the potential upset that will get them one step closer to winning the tournament. In the pre-match press conference, Bolden, who scored the match-winning penalty in the shootout against Chinese Taipei, echoes the sentiment. "The belief is like, let’s just continue to make history. Let’s keep proving people wrong. Let’s keep working hard," she said.

Goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel who was one of the heroes in their past win is looking forward to the semifinal as she's a huge fan of Korean boy band BTS and Ji, who will be on the other side of the pitch when the whistle blows.

The match will kick-off at 4 PM Manila time, and will be simulcast on free TV via One Sports. It will be also available online via the Eleven Sports website.