Filipinas bow out of Olympic qualifying
IN THE END, the Filipinas’ heavy loss to Australia, 0-8, and slim 1-0 win over Iran doomed their Olympic aspirations.
The Pinay booters missed a ticket to the third round of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament after being undone by inferior goal difference in the race for best runner-up honors against Uzbekistan. Group A No. 2 Philippines and Group C second-placer Uzbekistan finished with identical records of six points on two wins and one loss.
But in the tiebreak, it was the Uzbeks who emerged with a superior +2 goal difference against the Filipinas’ minus 4.
Group B’s South Korea wound up last among the three group runners-up with five points on one win and two draws.
After capping pool action victorious against the Iranians Wednesday, the Filipinas prayed for China and South Korea to draw in Group B and Uzbekistan to either tie or lose to India in Group C to salvage a Round 3 slot.
The Chinese and the Koreans wound up in a 1-1 stalemate in Xiamen but the Uzbeks ultimately extinguished the Pinays’ hopes by winning over the Indians, 3-0, in Tashkent.
Uzbekistan thus joined the three group winners — unbeaten Australia from Group A and Japan from Group B and Group C’s North Korea (seven points on two wins and a draw) — in the Final Four of the Continental Qualifiers in February.
The Filipinas, for their part, will have to wait for four more years to try and break into the Olympiad for the first time. — Olmin Leyba
