Korea sends PH into must-win vs Iran
The Philippine women’s football team absorbed a second straight loss in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup on Thursday, leaving no recourse but to win its final group stage match this weekend.
A 3-0 defeat at the hands of South Korea in Gold Coast, Australia, left the Filipinas in a must-win encounter against Iran for a shot at securing one of the two best third-placer slots for the knockout phase.
“I’m disappointed that we didn’t get the result we wanted, but we can’t focus on that now,” coach Mark Torcaso said. “We’ve got to focus on the next game and what we need to do against Iran.”
Iran was facing Australia at press time after coming off a similar defeat at the hands of South Korea.
If the Iranians fall anew, the two sides will be fighting for survival on Sunday at the same city.
Another defeat will obviously mean elimination for the Filipinas, and the end of their bid to secure a second straight appearance in the Fifa Women’s World Cup.
Six World Cup slots are at stake in the Asian Cup, which will be contested through the knockout rounds.
The four semifinalists go to the World Cup, while the quarterfinal losers fight for the other two spots through a pair of play-in matches.
The Filipinas began the campaign with a 1-0 loss to Australia, the final score a silver lining considering how the Matildas posted convincing triumphs in their past two meetings.
Torcaso’s squad came to the contest hoping to be in the thick of the fight against South Korea, only to concede two goals in the first 15 minutes.
“It’s not the result that we wanted,” the Filipinas coach said. “We want to obviously be closer and closer to the best teams, [but] it’s also a very good experience and learning for all our players, young and experienced.”
