Pino-led Filipinas rout Malaysia for 2025 SEA Games semis ticket

Alexa Pino (center) fired three goals to help the Filipinas past Malaysia and reach the semifinals of the 2025 SEA Games. (Photo: PFF/PWNFT)

The Philippine women's national football team (PWNFT) got the job done to reach the semifinals of the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Youngster Alexa Pino scored a hat-trick as the Filipinas blasted Malaysia, 6-0, at the IPE Chonburi Stadium in Thailand on Monday, December 11, to finish second in Group B.

Despite having an identical two-win and one-loss record, the Filipina booters bested Myanmar for the runner-up spot in their group with a superior goal difference of +6 against the latter's +2. On Thursday, the Burmese squad fell to reigning champion Vietnam, 2-0.

Ironically, the Philippines missed the knockout round in the 2023 SEA Games after losing to Myanmar on goal difference. Coincidentally, Myanmar also needed a large-margin win over Malaysia then, and delivered with an emphatic 5–1 result.

This time, the Filipinas flipped the script for their third semifinal appearance in the last four editions of the biennial meet.

The first half nearly went scoreless if not for Pino who gave the Philippines momentum heading into the break. The Young Filipinas standout, only 18 years old, opened what could be a scoring barrage in the 45th minute. Eight minutes into the second half, she doubled the lead.

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Veteran defender Jessika Cowart tripled the advantage in the 68th minute. Two minutes later, Pino completed her hat-trick with a penalty kick, which already secured the Filipinas' seat in the knockout stages.

The Philippines, however, didn't stop their relentless attacking.

Substitute Ariana Markey made it five-nil in the 85th minute for her first international goal in her first senior cap before Anicka Casteñada struck the exclamation goal in the sixth minute of the second-half stoppage time.

Malaysia, meanwhile, ended its campaign winless at the bottom of the group for the second straight SEA Games edition.

The PWNFT will aim for a historic finals stint when it faces host Thailand in the semifinals on Sunday, December 14.