By Hannah Blackwell
Kayleigh Green’s first-half penalty secured Wales a winning start in the 2023 Pinatar Cup, as they overcame a disciplined Philippines side to win 1-0.
Wales manager Gemm Grainger admitted her team had been severely tested and said: “We always want to win games and find out more about ourselves.
“Today, being able to play against a team playing at the World Cup this summer, to test ourselves, it was a tough game, they sat in deep and made us work.
“They were really well organised, the players were excellent though in how relentless they were. We probably could have had more goals but the three points is the main thing.”
Despite dominating possession and creating several chances during their tournament opener in Spain, Wales struggled to find the back of the net due to the Philippines’ solid defence.
https://twitter.com/BBCSportWales/status/1625971752298840094?s=20
Angharad James’s early penalty appeal was turned down, but Rachel Rowe had the game’s first big opportunity, only for Philippines’ goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel to save her close-range effort.
However, Wales eventually broke the deadlock in the dying moments of the first half. Rhiannon Roberts was brought down inside the box, and Kayleigh Green made no mistake with the resulting spot-kick.
Wales continued to press forward in the second half, with Ceri Holland almost doubling their lead, but her effort was brilliantly saved by McDaniel.
Philippines’ substitutes, Eva Madarang and Katrina Guillou, combined for their side’s only real chance, but Guillou’s shot was straight at Wales’ debutant goalkeeper Safia Middleton-Patel.
Wales missed several chances to extend their lead, with Hannah Cain, who returned to the national team after 15 months, being denied by the post.
However, they held on for a deserved victory, which moved them to second place in the Pinatar Cup table behind Iceland, who beat Scotland 2-0 earlier in the day.
Wales and Iceland will meet in their next game on Saturday.
FULL TIME: Iceland 2-0 Scotland.
Two second-half goals in quick succession for Iceland give them victory in our opening Pinatar Cup match.
We are back on the pitch on Saturday to face Philippines in our second game.#SWNT pic.twitter.com/UXjKoLuqBB
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) February 15, 2023