Malditas' brilliant WAC run ends after semis defeat to South Korea

Son Hwa-Yeon raises her fists after scoring the eventual dagger goal for South Korea. AFC

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--The Philippine women's football team's history-making run in the AFC Women's Asian Cup came to an end on Thursday, but not without a fight against South Korea.

Despite falling short in their semifinal showdown at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, India, the Malditas proved their worth by shutting down the Koreans in the final 56 minutes.

Cho So-Hyun quickly found a way to breach past the Malditas' 5-3-2 formation by drilling the opening goal in the fourth minute.

Son Hwa-Yeon then made it 2-0 with a 35th minute point-blank goal off a short cross.

However, the scoreline remained the same the rest of the way as the Malditas toughened their defense and even had some bright offensive moments in the match.

Settling for a share of third place, the Malditas achieved their best finish in the WAC.

But more importantly, the Malditas punched an outright ticket to the FIFA Women's World Cup next year in Australia and New Zealand.

On the other hand, South Korea will play the winner of the other semifinal clash between China and Japan happening later Thursday in the championship match on Sunday.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno