Filipinas beat Vietnam but fall short of SEA Games semis

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine women’s national football team were unable to make it to the semifinals of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games even with a 2-1 victory over defending champion Vietnam at the Smart RSN Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Tuesday.

A game-winning goal by skipper Hali Long at the 83rd minute was not enough as Myanmar took the other semis spot by virtue of a superior goal difference with their 5-1 win over Malaysia in the other match at Army Stadium.

The Philippines needed three more goals to overtake Myanmar in goal difference to finish in the Top 2 of Group A.

Sarina Bolden put the Philippines ahead early, 1-0, when she converted on the penalty kick at the 12th minute.

Isabella Flanigan was fouled by the Vietnamese goalkeeper inside the box to draw the penalty.

But Thi Bich Thuy Nguyen equalized for Vietnam before the halftime break to stall the Filipinas’ bid for the medal rounds.

It didn’t help that the Burmese had been battering Malaysia in their matchup.

By the time Long scored her header to give the Filipinas back the lead, it was already too tall a task to catch up with Myanmar.

Last year’s bronze medalists thus exit the group stage for the first time since 2013.

The Filipinas will now shift their focus to preparations for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in July.