Meryll Serrano took center stage as the Philippine Women’s National Football Team cruised to a dominant 3-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualification tournament on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Serrano, who plays professionally for FK Haugesund in Norway, set the tone early by assisting Jaclyn Sawicki’s maiden international goal in the 16th minute, giving the Filipinas an early lead.
The 27-year-old midfielder then doubled the advantage in the 55th minute with a brilliant solo effort, capping a standout performance.
With time winding down, 18-year-old Filipino-American forward Alexa Pino sealed the win with a clinical strike in the 81st minute, giving coach Mark Torcaso’s side a dream start to their Group G campaign.
With the victory, the Philippines tops the group with three points, while Saudi Arabia sits at the bottom.
“We’re really happy with the result,” said Torcaso. “Obviously, we wanted to score 1-2 more goals, but the most important thing for us is the win.”
The other two teams in the group, Hong Kong and host Cambodia, are set to clash later tonight.
Up next for the Filipinas is a showdown against regional rival Cambodia on Wednesday at 8:00 PM (Manila time), while Saudi Arabia will take on Hong Kong earlier at 5:00 PM.
Philippines XI: O McDaniel (GK), Cowart, Long (C), Sawicki, Norman, C McDaniel, Beard, Serrano, Pasion, Harrison-Wunsch, Pino.
Saudi Arabia XI: Bayan (C), Farida, Lana, Seba, Shuruq, Fadwa, Maram, Mariam, Ameera, Mona (GK), Raghad.
