Sarina Bolden demonstrated why she is one of the most potent forwards in the history of Philippine football anew after another historic night for the Philippine Women’s National Football team.
The 5-foot-8 striker scored twice as the Filipinas upset defending champions Vietnam 4-0 to set up a finals date against Thailand for a chance to win the 2022 AFF Women’s Championship on home soil.
Her brace extended her tally to 15 goals in 22 international appearances. She now has seven goals in six matches in the tournament and, barring any unforeseen miracle, is set to be the tournament’s top scorer.
“It’s a really great feeling because like what coach (Alen Stajcic) said, they’re arguably one of the best teams in Asia, Southeast Asia,” said Bolden.
“To be able to get not one but two goals against a really formidable opponent is really great but again, I couldn’t do that without all my teammates working their literal butts off until they dropped to the ground.”
Coming into the game, the Filipinas were seen as underdogs against their Vietnamese counterparts.
Vietnam was looking to secure its sixth finals appearance as well as its fourth consecutive international crown to add to the 30th and 31st SEA Games as well as the 2019 AFF Women’s Championship.
However, in football, the ball is always round. The Filipinas did not heed the credentials of their more illustrious opponents and went for the jugular as soon as referee Pansa Chaisanit blew the opening whistle of the match.
“That was a collective team effort. Yeah, I scored two goals but Tahnai (Annis) is the one who really catapulted those goals that happened with her penalty kick,” said the 26-year-old Chifure AS Elfen Saitama import.
“She doesn’t score that penalty kick, who knows what happens? So again, it was a total team effort. I’m really proud of every player and staff.”
What makes the win more special is that it was played in front of the biggest Rizal Memorial crowd in years. There were 3,233 live fans inside the stadium and they did everything they could to help the Filipinas cross the finish line.
Stajcic called for a sold-out crowd after the Filipinas’ 1-0 win against the Young Matildas. The number of fans watching the Filipinas steadily grew each game and their effect on the team has been immense, to say the least.
“It’s amazing! It’s electric when you’re out there and it’s hard playing against a home crowd. We definitely know that experience playing in the SEA Games against Vietnam,” said the California native.
“When you have that home crowd, it’s just the greatest feeling. It really, really does help. The numbers have been growing and I absolutely love that and I hope it continues to grow in this final championship game.”
Bolden has definitely been one of the stars of the tournament. With one more game to go, she and her teammates are on the edge of achieving what was unthinkable in years past — becoming the queens of Southeast Asian football.
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Catch the entire 2022 AFF Women’s Championship live on SMART Sports and Puso Pilipinas from July 4-18.
