Sarina Bolden’s solo goal stood no chance against the world No. 8 Japan, who dominated the Filipinas with an 8-1 victory in the quarterfinals of the 19th Asian Games. The match took place on Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Wenzhou Sports Centre Stadium.
Despite conceding their first goal, Japan quickly turned the tides in the second half and completely neutralized Bolden’s achievement, securing their place in the next round of the tournament.
The Filipinas were left with only 10 players on the field when their captain and defender Hali Long received a red card in the 28th minute for pushing a Japanese player. Despite this setback, the Philippines put up a strong defense in the first half, with Olivia McDaniel keeping a clean sheet. However, Japan’s Momoko Tanikawa opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a penalty kick.
The Filipinas continued to display promising defensive efforts, but their chances of equalizing were halted when the first half was abruptly cut short due to a weather delay, with Japan leading 1-0.
In the second half, Japan extended their lead to 3-0 with goals from Haruka Osawa and Remina Chiba. However, Bolden managed to bring one back for the Philippines three minutes later, converting a set piece from Sara Eggesvik’s corner kick with a header.
Although Bolden’s goal was a first for Japan in the tournament, Mami Ueno quickly responded with a hat trick in just 13 minutes, making it difficult for the Filipinas to recover. The Japanese side continued their relentless attack, with Ueno scoring another goal in the first minute of added time and Osawa securing a brace, resulting in an 8-1 victory for Japan.
With this defeat, the Filipinas concluded their Asian Games campaign with an even 2-2 record, including an impressive 3-0 win over their Southeast Asian rival Myanmar.
