By Jonas Terrado
Game Tomorrow
(Amman, Jordan)
9:45 p.m. – Philippines vs China
Sarina Bolden scored a go-ahead goal in the 76th minute and the Philippine Malditas came from behind to upset host Jordan, 2-1, early yesterday for a stunning start to their campaign in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup at the Amman International Stadium.
Bolden, a 22-year-old standout at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, received a long ball courtesy of Maria Park before firing a low attempt from the center of the box that enabled the Malditas to do the unthinkable by handing Jordan a shock defeat in the first match of the continental competition.
Not only did the Malditas surprised the rest of the field by gaining the maximum three points, they also put themselves on the cusp of doing the unthinkable of advancing to the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.
The national squad, coached by Frenchman Rabah Benlarbi, has two chances to pull off the trick with two matches remaining in Group A, beginning tomorrow night against China andon Thursday against Southeast Asian powerhouse Thailand.
The top two teams in each of the two groups gain outright entries to the World Cup while the third placers from both sides meet in a playoff for the fifth and final spot in the prestigious tournament which will hosted by France.
The Malditas fell behind early when Maysa Jbarah put Jordan on top in the 15th on a sliding volley from the edge of the box.
But Jordan allowed the Malditas to level the score in the 51st as Yasmeen Khair scored an own goal after he attempt at clearing a free kick when the back of the net instead.
