COMEBACKING Camille Wilson rescued the embattled Malditas, scoring the winning goal in injury time to lift the Philippines to pulsating 2-1 victory over upset-conscious Nepal late Saturday night at the start of theAFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Wilson, who last saw action for the country in the 2016 AFF Women’s Championship, came off the bench to score in the 92nd minute, capping a dramatic comeback for the Pinay footballers, who trailed 0-1 at the break on Nepalese BimalaChadhaury’s stunning header in the ninth minute.
With the outcome hanging in the balance, persistence play by the Filipinas finally paid off in the 90th minute as TahniaAniss scored the equalizer before Wilsonsealed the win for the charges of coach Marlon Maro and moved one step closer to qualifying for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
“It’s truly great to be back to represent this team, the country and my family; truly an amazing opportunity for myself,” said the Fil-Am midfielder, who added she had a hamstring injury while the Nationals trained in California in their build-up for the tournament.
“It was hard getting back into shape and getting back on the team. Being on the pitch is truly and amazing feeling. Getting the winning goal was unbelievable,” she added. “It (the win) is a credit to the whole team. We all played our best until the final minute.”
“The new players played well and initiated the first goal. Our adjustments in the second half resulted in us scoring in the last five minutes,” said Maro, relieved after surviving a scare against a team that was ranked 42 spots below them at 110th in the FIFA women’s world ratings.
The Malditas will have five days of rest to make the needed adjustments before facing Hong Kong this Saturday, with a win guaranteeing them a return trip to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to be hosted by India in January.
The nationals looked rusty after nearly two years of being out of action since their semifinal finish in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and nearly paid dearly for it after Chadhaury caught goalie and skipper Innah Palacios offguard with an enterprising header off a cross by teammate Sabita Rana Magar.
But they practically dominated the last 45 minutes to produce the goals they needed from Aniss and Wilson and prevent what could have been a humiliating loss.
