History has been made!
The Philippine women’s national football team grabbed its first-ever win in the FIFA Women’s World Cup after overcoming hosts New Zealand on Tuesday afternoon at the Wellington Regional Stadium.
Who else but Sarina Bolden scored the lone goal in the entire match as she headed in a beautiful cross from Sara Eggesvik in the 24th minute.
Bolden, who is no stranger to scoring important goals for the Filipinas, gave the country its first ever goal in the World Cup.
The Filipinas, led by keeper Olivia McDaniel, denied any effort made by New Zealand during their attacks throughout the match.
The Kiwis, though, did come close after Jacqui Hand’s header in the 68th minute was called offside by the officials after a VAR review.
If you’re wondering how close the call was—this photo says it all.
Ranked 26th in the world, New Zealand upset world No. 12 Norway in their opening match, while the 46th-ranked Philippines fell short against world No. 20 Switzerland.
With the win, the Filipinas keep their knockout stage hopes alive as they tie Switzerland and New Zealand with 3 points in Group A.
The Philippines will likely need to beat Norway as well if they are to advance to the quarterfinals. Catch that match on July 30, 3 p.m. on One Sports and the Pilipinas Live app.
(GM)