Isabella Preston came up with a heroic performance in the second half to bring the Filipinas to a historic first-ever appearance in the Asian Football Confederation U-17 Women’s Asian Cup.
The Pinay booter struck a beautifully-placed free kick from a tight angle in the 56th minute to break the heart of host Vietnam for a 1-0 win in the second round of the qualifying tournament Sunday night at the Vietnam Football Federation Training Center in Hanoi.
It was a sweet victory for the Philippine women’s football youth squad as it came in a do-or-die battle for the last flight to Indonesia in April next year.
“We left it all out on the field today,” said team captain Ariana Markey.
“We put everything on the line. We’re so excited to go to the Asian Cup.”
The Filipinas, now handled by Australian coach Sinisha Cohadzic, finished runner-up to unbeaten Group B leader Australia.
The Young Filipinas needed to get past Guam and Lebanon in the first round of qualifying last April in Guam, before beating Bangladesh, 3-1, last Friday, setting the stage for a sudden death game with Vietnam.
It could’ve been a sweep for the Filipinas if not for a sorry meltdown at the hands of Australia last Wednesday. The Pinays actually went ahead, 2-0, only to see the Aussies rain down a deluge of goals for a 6-2 win.
But the Filipinas were able to recover against Bangladesh before spoiling Vietnam’s party.
Vietnam only needed a draw to qualify for the Asian Cup, but the Filipinas turned the tables on the hosts, constantly opening up their backline with pace and slick passing, while holding firm defensively as they denied them an equalizer late on.
The Filipinas, who were in training camp in Manila for a month, more than matched Vietnam’s technical abilities. With their drive and intensity, they controlled the game all throughout.
Striker Nina Mathelus, who scored twice against Australia and added another goal against Bangladesh last Friday, was a constant threat, while Sophia Saludares also tested the Vietnamese goalkeeper numerous times.
“We are proud of what the girls have achieved, especially since it comes just a few months after the Filipinas also made history with a first-ever win in the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” said Philippine Football Federation president Mariano Araneta.
“We are extremely grateful of the sacrifices of the players and their families as well as the people behind the scenes, particularly team manager Jeff Cheng, whose support has been instrumental to the rise of women’s football in the past few years.”
Also qualified for the eight-team Asian Cup from 7 to 20 April next year are hosts Indonesia, defending champions Japan, 2019 runner-up North Korea, 2019 third-placer China, Group A winner South Korea, Group A second-placer Thailand, and Group B winner Australia.
The top three teams in the Asian Cup will qualify for the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic later in the year.
