The Philippines’ bid to reach the knockout stage of the ASEAN Championship for the second consecutive tournament is off to a bad start after a humbling 4-1 loss to Myanmar on July 28, 2026 at New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.
Myanmar, which lost to Malaysia, leaned on a brace from Than Paing, who scored once in each half to earn its first three points of the competition, while the Philippines endured its first home defeat since losing to Iran during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Playing under heavy rain, Myanmar wasted little time asserting itself. The visitors broke the deadlock in the seventh minute when Kyaw Min Oo headed in the rebound after Daisuke Sato blocked Soe Moe Kyaw’s initial effort from a corner kick.
The advantage doubled just before the half-hour mark. Maung Maung Lwin delivered a perfectly timed through ball that split the Philippine defense, allowing Than Paing to race through and calmly beat goalkeeper Quincy Kammeraad for a 2-0 lead.
The hosts appeared to have a chance to get back into the match in the 32nd minute when Jarvey Gayoso was brought down inside the penalty area. However, after consulting VAR, the referee overturned the penalty decision, ruling that no foul had been committed.
The Philippines finally found the net in the 68th minute as Gayoso finished off a pass from Javier Mariona, cutting the deficit to 2-1 and lifting the spirits of the 3,104 spectators in attendance.
Any hopes of a comeback were short-lived. Win Naing Tun restored Myanmar’s two-goal advantage in the 81st minute before Than Paing completed his brace just two minutes later, putting the result beyond doubt and sealing a dominant 4-1 victory.
The Philippines will now turn its attention to Saturday’s crucial clash against Laos at KM16 National Stadium in Vientiane, where a positive result will be vital to keeping its hopes of advancing to the tournament’s knockout stage alive.