By Isabella Magno

The Philippine National Women’s Football Team, the Filipinas, marked the beginning of its campaign in the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship with a victory against Australia, 1-0, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on Monday, July 4. 

With their first time playing on home soil in the 12th edition of the AFF, Sarina Bolden put life into the goalless clash after posing a game-winning goal in the 59th minute of the game. 

After scoring the header, Bolden kicked her shot for another point in the 76th minute, but her left-footed attempt missed the mark, keeping the score at 1-0 until the final whistle. 

The game-winning header by Bolden paved the Filipinas’ way to go past Australia’s Matildas, earning three points in its run against the tough Group A that includes Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. 

Clashing in Group B are 2019 champion Vietnam, 2019 third-placer Myanmar, Laos, Timor Leste, and Cambodia. Each group’s top two teams will proceed to the knockout stage. 

After the victory against Australia, the Filipinas are set to play every other day, facing Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, respectively. 

The team’s next match is set on Wednesday, July 6, at 7:00 PM at the same venue. 

Thumbnail from Mark Demayo