Thailand used its sturdy defense to come away with a 1-0 win over the Philippines on Tuesday night in their last remaining group stage encounter in the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation Women’s Championship at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Kanyanat Chettnabuttr found the net in the 75th minute after the double-teamed Thai striker received a short pass and headed it in past goalie Olivia McDaniel, eluding one of her defenders in Halli Long.
Thailand’s third win against a draw and loss eased the Filipinas out of their tight grip on the no. 1 spot in Group A.
The victory gave the Thais the no. 1 spot in the group and removed the Australian Under-23 side from contention after its 6-0 crushing of Malaysia in a simultaneous match over in Imus, Cavite.
“We are confident that we will win if we played our usual (game),” said Miyo Okamoto, coach of the Thais, the silver medalists in the Hanoi SEA Games.
It was the second time in three encounters that the Thais have won over the Filipinas, since their last clash in the semifinal round of the Hanoi SEA Games.
The Filipinas, who suffered their first loss in five encounters, will face the no. 1 team in Group B after settling for the second spot at the end of the Group Stage.
Vietnam shares the lead with Myanmar in Group B following a 6-0 crushing of Timor-Leste for their third consecutive win in Binan last Monday.
Myanmar, which blasted Laos, 3-1, will meet Vietnam at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
The winner of the Vietnam-Myanmar showdown will take on the Filipinas in the semifinals on Friday.
Coach Allen Stajcic said the Filipinas had plenty of winning chances, but the Thais were able to score on the hosts’ single defensive error.
“Unfortunately, one error cost us the game. But we had enough chances to win the game. They (Thailand) had 2 or 3, and we had 4 or 5. It happens in international competition,” said Stajcic.
Sarina Bolden tried to find openings in the final minutes of the game, but a watchful Thai defense disrupted her twice.