Filipinas progress in Olympic qualifier

MANILA, Philippines — The Filipinas sealed their entry into the second round of the AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament with a 4-0 shutout of Hong Kong Tuesday in Hisor, Tajikistan.

Sarina Bolden scored in the first 41 minutes then Meryll Serrano and Quinley Quezada joined the scoring fray as the Philippines completed a three-game sweep of Group E without conceding a goal to advance. They blanked Pakistan (4-0) and host Tajikistan (8-0) earlier.

The Filipinas now join fellow group winners Uzbekistan (Group A), Iran (Group B), Vietnam (Group C), Thailand (Group D), Chinese Taipei (Group F) and India (Group G) in Round 2 along with seeded squads North Korea, Japan, Australia, China and South Korea.

The next stage will see the teams divided into three groups with the three group winners and the best second-placed side then moving forward to the third and final round.