MANILA — The Philippine women’s football team shattered long-standing regional dominance by host Thailand on Sunday night, booking a historic first-ever finals appearance in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games after prevailing, 4-2, in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in extra time at Chonburi Daikin Stadium.
The breakthrough victory marked the Filipinas’ biggest SEA Games moment to date, ending Thailand’s hopes of defending home turf and sending the Philippines to a gold-medal showdown against defending champion Vietnam.
Thailand broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute when Mongkoldee Jiraporn pounced on a defensive lapse to give the hosts a 1-0 lead, seemingly putting the Filipinas on the brink of elimination.
But the Filipinas refused to fold. Jael Marie Guy delivered under pressure, converting a crucial penalty in the 86th minute after a Thai defender was penalized for a handball inside the box, forcing the match into extra time.
Neither side found the winner in the additional 30 minutes, setting the stage for a tense shootout where the Filipinas showed composure beyond their years. Guy, Alessandra Carpio, Sara Eggesvik, and team captain Hali Long calmly buried their spot kicks to secure the stunning upset.
Thailand managed only two successful attempts through Jiraporn and Taneekarn Dangda, as Pluemjai Sontisawat struck the post and Orapin Waenngoen missed her kick, sealing the hosts’ fate and igniting celebrations on the Philippine bench.
The Filipinas will now face Vietnam in the gold medal match on December 17. Vietnam advanced to the final earlier after crushing Indonesia, 5-0, in the other semifinal. The Philippines holds a psychological edge, having beaten Vietnam, 1-0, during the group stage.
Meanwhile, the Philippines continued to make waves in other events as Agatha Wong successfully defended her women’s taijiquan-taijijian title in the wushu competitions at the Ratthaprasasanphakdi Building Government Complex.
Wong delivered polished routines in both taijiquan and taijijian to secure her sixth career SEA Games gold medal, further cementing her status as one of the region’s most dominant wushu athletes.
In weightlifting, Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz capped her latest SEA Games stint with a fourth-place finish in the women’s 60-kilogram division at the Chonburi Sports School. Diaz lifted a total of 200 kilograms, narrowly missing the podium as younger lifters from Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam claimed the medals in a tightly contested event./PN
