THE Philippines capped its 2025 campaign on a strong note with a 2-0 win over Maldives in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers at the National Football Stadium in Male on Nov. 18, 2025.
First half goals from Jefferson Tabinas and Sandro Reyes sealed all three points for the Philippines, keeping the squad tied with Tajikistan at 13 points heading into the decisive Group A finale in March 2026.
Jefferson Tabinas headed in his third goal of the qualifiers in the 24th minute, while Sandro Reyes connected with Jarvey Gayoso for his fifth international goal just before half time.
“It’s good that we score in the set pieces… the set piece that we scored in the corner, it was something that we worked on during the training camp,” said head coach Carles Cuadrat.
Both the Philippines and Tajikistan have 13 points in Group A but Tajikistan has a one goal advantage after its 5-0 win over Timor Leste also last night.
Knowing they needed to fatten their goal difference to seal the number one spot, the Philippines continued to push in the second half with Gayoso, Dylan DeMuynck, Bjorn Kristensen, and Sebastian Rasmussen coming close.
“We need three goals, but we couldn’t make that… we deserve to score minimum one, two, three goals more. We did the job to get a more comfortable victory, but we have to understand that football is like this sometimes, and it was a short result for us,” said Cuadrat.
On the other hand, Philippine Football Federation (PFF) President John Anthony Gutierrez celebrated the win.
“This result is a reflection of the hard work that the players, the coaches, and the staff have put in throughout the year. We can see the progression. We know what this team is capable of, and tonight they showed it,” he said.
Gutierrez also reassured Filipino football fans of the Federation’s support as the team enters its most crucial match yet: “We understand how big the game in Tajikistan will be, and the PFF is fully behind the team. Our preparations continue, and we want the players to feel that the entire country is with them. We believe they have what it takes to finish the job.”
The Philippines will return to the qualifiers on March 31 against Tajikistan, needing a win to secure its second stint in the continental tournament.