By: Gil Moriones
CALOOCAN CITY -- After beating Vietnam—a result that helped the Filipinas advance to the last eight—the Nadeshiko walloped an inspired Philippines side, 7-0, in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Women's Asian Cup at Sydney Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Japan is the latest team to secure one of the four tickets to the 2027 Women's World Cup, joining Australia, South Korea, and China, who had already booked their spots.
They will face defending champions China, while host Australia will take on finalists South Korea.
Major changes were seen in the Filipinas' lineup, as Mark Torcaso rested regular starters Olivia McDaniel, Sara Eggesvik, and Angie Beard. He fielded several players from the second unit, including Niña Meollo, who made several impressive saves in the one-sided match.
In her first appearance in a regional tournament, Meollo stopped 16 on-target shots. She anchored the defense for the first 45 minutes of the game until Mina Tanaka slotted in a goal, followed by a Toko Koga header from a corner kick to double the lead before halftime, 2-0.
Remina Chiba finally broke through in the 65th minute after being denied on two previous attempts, extending the lead to 3-0. Manaka Matsukubo added to the Nadeshiko's dominance three minutes later, demonstrating brilliant individual skill to slot the ball into the roof of the net.
In the 75th minute, Koga added her second goal for the two-time Women's Asian Cup champions, finishing a tic-tac-toe header from close range off a pass from Tanaka.
Momoko Tanikawa scored her second goal of the tournament in the 86th minute, and Riko Ueki finalized the 2011 Women's World Cup champions' scoring party with an accurate header off a lob from Riza Shimizu.
Although the Filipinas are now out of contention for the continental championship, the Philippines' road to Brazil remains open, with a playoff match against Uzbekistan scheduled for Thursday morning.
