MANILA, Philippines – Katrina Guillou and Dionesa Tolentin netted timely goals in the second half to lift the Philippines past Turkmenistan in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers, 2-0, on Wednesday, January 15, at the Yunusobod Sports Complex in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Guillou scored the country’s first goal at the 17:42 mark of the second half, off a cross from Judy Connolly — who delivered the heroics in their previous match against Uzbekistan — to open the floodgates for the Philippines.
Tolentin followed through with 10:04 remaining in the game to ultimately halt world No. 38 Turkmenistan’s hopes.
The Turkmenistan women kept themselves in the game with their pesky defensive front to start the game, keeping a goalless tally in the second half.
The win put the Philippines closer to an Asian Cup ticket as the Filipinas currently stand with 7 points built off two wins and one draw with a +7 goal difference to occupy the provisionary top spot in Group C.
The world No. 59 Filipinas will then face Australia on Sunday, January 19, for a chance to seal their first-ever Asian Cup ticket.
The top teams of each group and the best third-placed team will advance to the continental cup in May.
As host, the Philippines has already secured its spot in the FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup in December this year, regardless of its Asian Cup finish.
The Philippines defeated Kuwait and drew against host Uzbekistan to start the tournament, kickstarting the national team’s roster revamp this year ahead of the World Cup. – Rappler.com