THE Philippines fought hard but lost its first game of the Asian Football Confederation U23 qualifiers, 2-1, to Syria at the Republican Central Stadium in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on Sept. 4, 2025.
The Philippines sits third in the group, with the host Tajikistan, a 4-0 winner over Nepal, on top.
Both teams played evenly in the first half, with the Philippines flirting with a few chances inside the Syrian box as the two played to a scoreless draw in the first half.
However, in the 63rd minute, captain Mahmoud Alaswad finally got past Nicholas Guimares to give the Syrians the lead.
Still, that didn’t dampen the spirit of the Pinoys and Sandro Reyes scored a brilliant left foot outside the box in the 78th for the equalizer.
However, the scoreline didn’t last long as the Syrians caught the defense napping as Mohammad Almustafa got the winner in the 80th.
“Despite the defeat, the team displayed a commendable performance against a higher-ranked Syrian side, showing promise for their remaining matches in the tournament,” the Philippine Football Federation said in a statement.
The Philippines will next take on the home side Tajikistan on Sept. 6, before closing out its campaign against Nepal on Sept. 9.
The 11 group winners and the four best runner-up teams will join host Saudi Arabia in the 2026 AFC U23 championships.