THE Philippines continued its impressive run, remaining unbeaten and advancing to the finals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Girls Under-14 Regional Championship following a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Myanmar yesterday afternoon at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
The Philippines conceded an early goal by Myanmar, with Hnin Mya Thazin hitting the back of the net in the ninth minute.
However, the Philippines fought back and scored an equalizer by Cebuana striker Itsuko Bacatan, who scored her fourth goal in the tournament, just five minutes after.
In the second half, Joyce Semancio got the go ahead goal in the 66th minute to give the Philippines the lead for the first time.
The Philippines will face the winner of the other semifinal match between unbeaten Thailand and Vietnam, which was still ongoing as of press time. The championship match is at 6:30 p.m. tonight.
Perfect run
Thailand thrashed Myanmar, 5-0, in their group play, while the Philippines upset defending champion Vietnam, 1-0.
The Philippines was impressive in the group stage finishing with nine points and unbeaten in three matches. The Philippines didn’t also allow the opponents to score a single goal in the group stage – beating Singapore, 6-0; host Vietnam, 1-0; and Cambodia, 5-0.
This is the best finish for the Philippines Girls Under-14 team, which ended up at fourth place in the previous tournament.
The Philippine Girls Under-14 squad has three Cebuanas in the roster – Bacatan, midfielder Arantxa Trebol and defender Jan Jumawan, who all started in the semifinal match.
The other members of the team are Yasmin Elauria, Tjanee ISulat, Tenelyn Otom, Annika Velez, Glynnes dela Cruz, Lindsay Whaley, Jennifer Barion and subsitutes Alexandrea Gumilao, Patricia Francisco, Stacey Arthur and Princess Caparida.
They are led by head coach Marnelli Dimzon. (EKA)