The Philippine Women’s Under-17 National Football Team booked its place in the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup after defeating Bangladesh on Sunday evening at the Do’stlik Stadium Training Pitch in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The Filipinas secured their third appearance in the continental tournament after sweeping Group H of the qualifiers, following a dominant 4-0 victory over hosts Uzbekistan on October 5.
The Philippines will compete in the Asian Cup, which China will host from March 31 to April 17 next year.
After controlling much of the opening half, the Filipinas finally broke through in the 73rd minute when Maya Bascara pounced on a rebound after Bangladesh defender Airin Khatun miskicked Ariana Enderes’ cross.
The Filipinas had threatened early, with Aryanna Capsa forcing a save from Bangladesh goalkeeper Meghla Roy before Ariana Enderes tested the shot-stopper from outside the box.
Savannah Chheng then slipped Noelle Granger through on goal in the 24th minute, but Bangladesh defender Munia Akter recovered in time to force the forward into a tight angle, allowing Roy to gather the ball.
Bangladesh found its rhythm toward the end of the first half, with Mousumi Akter heading wide before Alpi Akter rattled the crossbar with a shot from outside the box.
The Bangladeshis carried that momentum into the second half, with goalkeeper Abigail Garcia stepping up to deny their attempts.
Garcia rushed off her line to clear the danger in the 58th minute before Purnima Marma struck the side netting three minutes later. She also kept out Umma Kulsum’s attempt as Bangladesh searched for the equalizer.
Meghla, meanwhile, kept the Filipinas from extending their lead in the 83rd minute, producing a point-blank save against Granger before stretching to deny Enderes on the rebound.
The Philippines eventually put the result beyond doubt at the stroke of the 90th minute, with Ariana Gementiza picking out Granger’s run into the box. The forward calmly found the bottom corner before completing her brace in stoppage time to seal the Filipinas’ qualification.
With victories over Uzbekistan and Bangladesh, the Filipinas completed a perfect qualifying campaign to secure their place among Asia’s top youth women’s football teams.
