THE Filipinas moved a step closer to their return to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup last Wednesday night, stomping on host Cambodia 6-0 for the lead in Group G of the qualifying tournament at the National Olympic Stadium in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh.
Irrepressible midfielder Meryll Serrano starred for the charges of Australian coach Marc Torcaso with a brace, including a long bomb just past midfield in the 36th minute that bounced once and into the net, with goalie Chea Safriya straying far from her usual post. She scored her first goal in the 19th minute.
Alexa Pino scored the icebreaker a minute earlier, splitting the Cambodian defense for a 10-yarder inside the goal area, while the hosts added salt to their wounds as defender Somrit Nimol struck with an own goal in a fumbling bid to clear the ball in the 40th minute.
With the Nationals enjoying a comfortable 4-0 lead at the break, skipper and defensive linchpin Hali Long added to Cambodia’s miseries when they returned to the pitch, slotting in the fifth goal in the 48th minute while Chandler McDaniel struck the final nail in their rivals’ coffin in the 56th minute.
“To be honest, we watched Hong Kong against Cambodia. I was actually quite nervous for this game but when we got the first and second goal, I thought we were doing good,” said Serrano, 27, who plays for Norway Second Division club Haugesund.
“I mean, it’s been a good two games now and I think we just have to keep going. We have one more game against Hong Kong and we really wanna go and get all the points,” added the native of Mangaldan, Pangasinan.
“We are very pleased with the team’s performance today and appreciate the strong support from the Filipino community in Cambodia,” said Philippine Football Federation president John Gutierrez in a statement.
Sharing the spotlight was PH goalie Olivia McDaniel, who kept a clean sheet for the second match in a row in her 50th cap for the country, as the Filipinas picked up another three points to wind up on top of the group with six.
Hong Kong was in second with four points after nipping Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the other match, while Cambodia was third with one point and Saudi Arabia at the bottom after absorbing its second straight loss.
Although a draw would be more than enough, the Filipinas will be gunning for their third straight win and a ticket to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia next year when they face the former Crown Colony booters tomorrow at 4 p.m.
The only fly in the ointment for the Nationals was the disqualification of young defender Nina Mathelus, who came off the bench in the second half, with a red card near the end of the game after colliding hard with a Cambodian player, meriting a one-match ban.
Once they qualify for the Asian Cup, the continental qualifying competition for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Filipinas will seek a return trip to the quadrennial women’s soccer showcase after making their maiden appearance two years ago in New Zealand under Aussie tactician Alen Stajcic.
