By Jerome S. Galunan, Jr.

The Philippine women’s national team, the Malditas, opened the qualification round for the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup with a huge 4-0 win earlier this week over the United Arab Emirates at the Central Republican Stadium in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Striker Eva Madarang single-handedly put the Philippines up 2-0 before halftime, with a goal in the 14th minute and one in extended time. Between the two strikes, there were also attempts from Philippine midfielders Patrice Impelido and Jovelle Sudaria, and defender Claire Lim.
Shortly into the second half, Negrense midfielder Irish Navaja made it 3-0 in the 49th minute, followed shortly by midfielder Sara Castañeda who added to the tally, putting the Malditas up 4-0 in the 54th minute.
“The weather had a positive impact on our game because the girls kept moving, that made a difference,” said Malditas coach Letecia Bautista during the post-match press conference. “In the second half, they were more relaxed, more composed, passing around, and we are happy with our performance.”
“Back in the Philippines, we haven’t scored this much in our games,” she added. “We were really happy.”
The Philippines next faces Iraq today, who lost their last match to the host country, Tajikistan, 1-0./WDJ