Philippines escapes Nepal to open Asian Cup Qualifying

Sara Castaneda

The Philippines needed some late drama to kick off Group F action at the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022 Qualifying, eking out a 2-1 victory over Nepal at the JAR stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Saturday.

Tahnai Annis and Camille Wilson scored the tying and game-winning goals for the Malditas, who trailed nine minutes in after allowing a Bimala Chaudhury header into the net.

Nearing the end of the match the @PilipinasWNFT trailed 1-0 and were close to losing their shot at qualifying for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

But then the Malditas gave us a reminder why you should always play until the final whistle 🇵🇭⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/9LDtQU1iiO

— Paolo del Rosario (@paodelrosario) September 18, 2021

The victory allows the Philippines to vault ahead of idle Hong Kong atop the group with three points, with the top finisher being rewarded a spot in the tournament proper next year.

The Malditas will be interested observers when Hong Kong and Nepal face off on Tuesday, before facing the former on Friday. Both matches will have a 6pm kickoff (Manila time).

The Philippines is seeking to enter the AFC Women's Asian Cup for the tenth time in its history. Their previous appearance in 2018 put them one win short of securing one of the coveted five Asian slots in the FIFA Women's World Cup in France.