Sydney, March 19 -- The Philippines and DPR Korea secured direct qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup after registering victories in their respective Women's Asian Cupplayoffs at Gold Coast Stadium on Thursday.
Angela Beard and Jaclyn Sawicki struck just after halftime to secure a 2-0 victory for the Philippines over Uzbekistan.
The Philippines, which reached the semifinals at the 2022 Asian Cup, saw Beard open the scoring shortly after the restart before Sawicki headed home.
The Philippines had earlier missed several golden opportunities despite dominating the first half, while Uzbekistan struggled to capitalize on their limited chances, managing only five shots to the Philippines' 17.
In the other playoff match, Hong Song...