Malditas’ WC stint bleak

The Philippines bungled its best chance to reach the Women’s World Cup for the first time, yielding to Southeast Asian powerhouse Thailand, 1-3, on Friday in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Amman, Jordan.

But Malditas French coach Rabah Benlarbi remained defiant, saying the squad still has a chance to qualify via the fifth place playoff where it will play the winner of the Vietnam-South Korea clash in Group B.

The fifth placer will take Asia’s last spot in the World Cup.

Either way, it will be a tall order for the Malditas as the Koreans (No. 16) and Vietnamese (No. 35) are both ranked ahead of the Filipinos (No. 72) by the international football federation (Fifa).

“It’s not yet over for us,” said Benlarbi. “We will go out and try to play without pressure.” —CEDELF P. TUPAS