The Philippines would have to wait for at least four more years to make it to the FIFA Women’s World Cup as their bid to make the 2019 edition in France came to a disappointing end following a 5-0 thrashing they experienced against South Korea.
As a result, the Koreans take the last spot for next year’s World Cup joining Australia, Japan, Thailand and China as Asian Football Confederation’s representatives.
For the Philippines, qualification to the World Cup may have not been achieved but it marks their strongest finish in the continental tournament where they officially place at sixth.
The Philippines held South Korea scoreless 33 minutes. Unfortunately, once the Koreans opened the scoring, it was going to be about a matter of how many they would put into the back of the net.
Eleven minutes before halftime, Jang Sel Gi put her team in front. Going down by a goal won’t be too much of a bad thing for the Philippines. However, the Koreans managed to score again right before the break. It was Lee Mi Na who got herself in the scoresheet by converting an assist made by Ji So Yun.
In the second half, Jeon Ga Eul racked up two assists to pad their already comfortable lead for the Koreans. She first set up Lim Seon Joo in the 56th minute before doing the same ten minutes later for Cho So Hyun.
Cho would score another in the end as she dispatched a spot kick awarded to South Korea six minutes before time. It officially marked the Philippines’ biggest defeat in the competition and perhaps also served as a reminder of how far the Philippines is from the might of the continental giants.
On a positive note, the Filipinas have a sixth place finish in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to build on. It’s the best ever result the Philippines has recorded in the tournament. As the quest for a World Cup spot goes on for another four years at the very least, the Philippines could very well make the most out of what they learned as they go again in about three years time.
