The Filipinas Philippine women’s football team delivered an impressive performance in the first round of the 2024 AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, sweeping their assignments and booking a spot in the second phase after defeating Hong Kong at the Hisor Central Stadium in Tajikistan Tuesday night.
The Philippine Women’s National Football Team secured their place in the next round of the Paris 2024 Olympics Asian Qualifiers, winning all three matches in Group E and holding down their opponents to zero goals.
In their victory over Hong Kong on April 11, 2023, Sarina Bolden grabbed a brace, while Meryll Serrano and Quinley Quezada were also on the 4-0 scoresheet. The Filipinas also beat Pakistan, 4-0, for win No. 1 and Tajikistan, 8-0, for win No. 2.
JUST IN: The Filipinas are advancing to the next round of the AFC Women's Olympic Qualifiers as the leader of Group E after routing Hong Kong, 4-0, in tonight's match STORY on @GoodNewsPinas_ https://t.co/zwgIhlAX2W
— Angie Quadra-Balibay (@AngieQBalibay) April 11, 2023
The Filipinas are advancing to the next round of the Asian Qualifiers after finishing on top of Group E with 9 points and an impressive +16 goal difference. Hong Kong remained in second place with six points, while Pakistan and Tajikistan battled later on the day to complete the final match day in Group E.
The qualification means that the Filipinas advanced to the next group stage of the Olympic Asian qualifiers for the first time. They will join the five seeded teams in the second round and the six other teams that qualified. The 12 teams will be drawn into three groups of four with the top teams in the group advancing to the third round along with the best second-placed team.
The two eventual winners of the third and final rounds will book their respective slots in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Filipinas’ next challenge starting in October will be against bigger nations in Asia, including Australia, Japan, China, and the two Koreas, plus Thailand and Vietnam.
Coach Alen Stajcic was delighted over his team’s performance, although he felt that the Filipinas could have scored more had they been sharper inside the penalty box. Stajcic said that the Filipinas’ finishing has to be better if they want to compete with the big nations in Asia. The coach said that it’s going to be very difficult for the Filipinas and they need to be ready.
The Filipinas are also preparing for their first-ever appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in July to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
The Filipinas recorded its best-ever FIFA World Ranking at World No. 49 ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers.
SEND CHEERS in the comments below to the Filipinas Philippine Women’s National Football Team for its top ranking at the 2024 Paris Olympics Asian Qualifiers!
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