Filipinas try to take down Taegeuk Ladies

MANILA, Philippines — The gutsy stand in the narrow 0-1 loss to host Australia has strengthened the Filipinas’ belief that they could compete against the powerhouses in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

And now the underdog Pinay booters seek to go further as they try to take down South Korea in their Group A duel today at the Gold Coast Stadium.

The Taegeuk Ladies hold pole position in the group after shutting out Iran, 3-0, in Sunday’s initial salvo of the Continental showpiece.

The 1 p.m. game (11 a.m. Manila time) is important in the Filipinas’ bid to advance to the KO round in this FIFA Women’s World Cup-qualifying meet. They need to finish Top 2 in the group to earn an outright berth to the quarterfinals or emerge first or second among the third-ranked teams after group play to advance.

“We’ve obviously had a very tough game against the hosts (Matildas) but now our direction looks towards Korea and we’ll experience one of the best and strongest teams in the competition,” said Philippine coach Mark Torcaso. “We just want to perform really well for the country. I know the girls will fight to the death. And as a target we just want to show our heart and determination. I think that (result) will take care of itself.”