Pinay booters blank Indonesia, cruise to AFC Women's Asian Cup quarterfinal round

The Philippine national women's football team asserted dominance over Indonesia, 6-0, to clinch a quarterfinal berth in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup on Thursday night at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in India.

The Filipinas quickly made their presence felt, getting ahead with a breakthrough goal from Katrina Jacqueline Guillou in the sixth minute followed by a header by Sarina Bolden in the 27th mark as the nationals took a commanding 2-0 lead into halftime.

Prior to the break, the Philippines had 58.7 percent of possession while having 12 shots in the first 45 minutes.

Team captain Tahnai Annis, who was pivotal during the qualifiers last September, then extended their lead to 3-0 after drilling home a long shot. Midfielder Jessica Miclat converted a penalty kick while Annis poured another in to push their advantage to 5-0.

Young Malea Cesar then put the icing on the cake as she finished a goal in the extra period for a 6-0 cushion.

The win assured the Philippines a slot in the knockout stage as it now sits second in Group B with a 2-0-1 win-draw-loss card.

Only the top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will qualify to the playoff round. Five tickets to the prestigious FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 are also up for grabs in the tournament. -- BAP, GMA News