MANILA – The Philippine women's football team has settled for a share of third place in the AFC Women's Asian Cup after bowing to South Korea, 0-2, in their semifinal match-up on Thursday at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, India.
Despite the defeat, however, the team also known as the Malditas kept the match closer than what many projected in the pre-game through their tough defense on the Koreans.
Cho So-Hyun quickly found a way to breach past the Malditas' 5-3-2 formation by drilling the opening goal in the fourth minute.
Son Hwa-Yeon then made it 2-0 with a 35th-minute point-blank goal off a short cross.
The Malditas, however, had since kept the Koreans scoreless.
With their third-place performance, the Malditas achieved their best finish in the WAC.
But more importantly, the Malditas punched an outright ticket to the FIFA Women's World Cup next year in Australia and New Zealand.
On the other hand, South Korea will play the winner of the other semifinal clash between China and Japan, which is ongoing as of posting, in the championship match on Sunday. (PNA)
