Syrians shock Filipinos

The Philippines is in danger of missing a spot in the AFC U23 Asian Cup after absorbing a 1-2 loss to Syria last Wednesday at the Republican Central Stadium in Dushanbe in Tajikistan.

Despite having marquee players like Sandro Reyes, Alex Monis, Santi Rublico and Filipino-English defender Isaiah Fariq Alakiu, the Nationals had a slow start as they got stunned by the Syrians in the second half.

Mahmoud Al Aswad drew first blood for the Syrians in the 61st minute after his strike got past goalkeeper Nicholas Guimares.

Reyes then scored for the Philippines with a screamer in the 78th minute to level the count.

However, Mohammad Al Mustafa got a tap-in goal in the 80th minute for the lead and, eventually, the win for Syria.

The Philippines is currently at the bottom of Group K and will have to win its next two games to have a chance of getting a slot in this prestigious continental tournament.

Only the top teams of 11 groups and the four best second-place squads will be able to qualify for the Asian Cup, which takes place in Saudi Arabia.

The Nationals need to beat host Tajikistan, who they are competing against at press time, and Nepal on Tuesday with a huge margin to boost their chances of making it to the Asian Cup next year.

The Philippines is gunning for its first-ever appearance in the Asian Cup, which started back in 2013.