The Philippine women’s football team took down defending champion Vietnam, 2-1, to wrap up their group stage campaign but fell short of qualifying for the semifinals at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games on Tuesday, May 9, at the Smart RSN Stadium in Cambodia. The Filipinas not only needed a single goal win against the Vietnamese, but also a Myanmar loss. However, the road to the next stage got tougher as the Philippines ended up needing three goals to salvage its medal hopes in the biennial meet, with Myanmar emerging victorious against Malaysia in dominant fashion, 5-1, in the other Group A match to join Vietnam in the semis. All three teams scored six points each in the group stage but the Philippines was eliminated due to an inferior goal differential. *Philippines' Quinley Quezada (R) passes the ball during the women's football match between Vietnam and Philippines at RSN Stadium during the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Phnom Penh on May 9, 2023. (AFP)*
After struggling with a slow start in their previous games, the goal came early for the Philippines this time around as Isabella Flanigan was fouled by the Vietnamese goalkeeper inside the box, which resulted in the penalty converted by Sarina Bolden at the 12th minute. Before the halftime break, though, Vietnam found a way to equalize and stall the Philippines’ semis bid as Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy caught Olivia McDaniel off-guard in the middle for the goal. Seven minutes before the regulation ended, captain Hali Long scored off a header to put the Philippines ahead by one. But by the time the win was within reach, Myanmar’s 3-1 lead ballooned to a four-point cushion, which meant that the Philippines' win was not enough to see it through the next round. Despite the added time of four minutes, the 2021 bronze medalists saw the exit early in this year's edition.