Pinay U-14 booters also make history

MANILA, Philippines - Two weeks after the Azkals fell short of its title bid in the AFC Challenge Cup, Philippine football achieved another historic feat as its girls’ under-14 team reached the finals of the AFC girls U-14 championship for Southeast Asia in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The gritty Filipina booters of coach Let Dimzon, pre-tournament underdogs who have bucked the odds by going undefeated and now fighting for the gold medal against powerhouse Thailand, became the first ever age-group national team to go this deep in an international football tournament.

“It’s a great achievement for our girls to be in the finals. We should be elated and proud of what they’ve achieved ,” said Philippine Football Federation president Nonong Araneta. “Let’s pray for their success in the finals.”

The Pinay booters were slated to play the Thais for the title last night at Thong Nhat Stadium.

“Thailand is a strong team but every team has its weakness and we are working on their weakness to get this championship,” said Dimzon. 

She expressed her gratitude to the team’s supporters for believing and sticking it out with the history-seeking side.

“To all who supported and believed that we can make it to the finals, thank you. To all the parents who gave their support to the coaches, from the camp until today, this is for you. We’ve gone this far and we will finish this campaign with the best result to make our nation proud,” Dimzon said.

The Phl girls racked up four successive wins in the seven-nation tourney divided into two groups, including a 1-0 upset of holder and host Vietnam in Group A action and a 2-1 disposal of Myanmar in the semis to go into the finals with a spotless mark.

For their part, the Thais had a clean sheet in three-nation Group A before nosing out Vietnamese in the Last-4, 2-0, to secure their expected place in the gold medal match.