Filipinas vs Myanmar: Win or go home

HANGZHOU – The Philippine women’s football team bowed to South Korea last Monday but not necessarily out of contention in the 19th Asian Games here.

A 5-1 loss to South Korea at the Wenzhou Sports Center Stadium was not stunning at all for the Filipinas considering that their opponents are ranked No. 20 in the world.

It’s twice as high compared to the Sara Bolden-led Philippine squad which sits at No. 44.

The loss was the first for the Filipinas here following a 3-1 victory over Hong Kong a couple of nights ago. Now even at 1-1, they are left with no choice but win their last game in Group E.

“May chance pa naman. May Myanmar game pa tayo,” said Philippine Football Federation chief Mariano Araneta after the loss to South Korea, bronze medalist in the 2018 Asian Games.

But they can’t afford another defeat.

If and when the Philippines beats Myanmar, ranked No. 51 by FIFA, it will have to wait for the results of the other groups.

Only the top team in the five groups will gain automatic berths to the next round. The top three teams among the survivors will join them in the quarterfinals.

That’s why Araneta stressed that the game against Myanmar tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. is one that they can’t afford to lose.

“Basta ang importante talunin natin ang Myanmar. Then we hope for the best that we land in the top three among the remaining teams,” he added.

“If we beat Myanmar we have six points. Then we have a chance depending on the goal difference of the other teams,” Mariano said.

For a while, the Filipinas, fresh from their historic stint in the FIFA World Cup, had thoughts of beating the South Koreans when Bolden struck and broke the ice in the 8th minute.

But the celebration did not last as the Koreans retaliated in the 12th