Filipinas fight, claw way to AFF final

MANILA, Philippines — With a performance to remember in front of its largest cheering home crowd so far, a fighting and clawing Philippines gave nemesis and defending champion Vietnam a world-class beating on its way to a new entry in its history-making run.

Delivering relentless 90-minute work to win possession and protect their turf, the amazing Filipinas clobbered the favored Vietnamese in a surprisingly one-sided semis affair last night, 4-0, to get a crack at a breakthrough AFF Women’s Championship crown.

Fourth placers in the past edition in 2019, the surging home side can complete its climb to the mountaintop with a vengeful victory against another old tormentor, Thailand, in Sunday’s finale.

The Thais, who beat the Philippines in the final elims game in Group A, advanced via a 2-0 shutout of Myanmar in the other Final Four pairing earlier in the day.

Hali Long nodded in the opening goal off a corner in the 32nd as the 3,233-strong audience erupted in jubilation at a rocking Rizal Memorial Stadium, setting the tone for the romp.

The tenacious attacking of Alen Stajcic’s FIFA World Cup-bound troops led to a penalty kick in the 51st. To chants of “Isa pa, isa pa,” skipper Tahnai Annis sent keeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh the wrong way to double the edge.

Sarina Bolden, the team’s top gunner in the tourney, joined the party at Rizal with a header off Annis’ corner at the hour mark and one more strike 11 minutes later to put the game beyond Vietnam’s reach.

It was sweet revenge for the gritty Filipinas, who lost to the Vietnamese in two previous semis encounters, the 2019 AFF meet in Thailand and that year’s Southeast Asian Games in Biñan. The Pinay booters also lost to Vietnam in the pool play of last May’s SEAG that the Vietnamese themselves won.

Meanwhile, Kenyamat Chettabutr, who delivered the winning header in Thailand’s 1-0 win over host Philippines at the end of Group A, and sub Saowalak Pengngam were at the scoring end as the 2019 runner-up Thais disposed of the Burmese en route to their fourth straight finals appearance.