Sandro Reyes’ strike wasn’t enough to spark a turnaround as the Philippine Under-23 Men’s National Team suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Syria in its opening match of the 2026 AFC Under-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers on Wednesday at the Republican Central Stadium in Dushanbe.
With the nationals trailing by a goal, the 22-year-old midfielder unleashed a thunderous shot from outside the box to level the score in the 78th minute, cancelling out Mahmoud Al Aswad’s left-footed opener that slipped past Filipino goalkeeper Nicholas Guimares.
But the celebration was short-lived. Just two minutes later, Mohammed Al-Mustafa found the back of the net from close range to restore Syria’s lead and seal the win.
The result placed Syria in second spot in Group K with three points and a +1 goal difference, while the Philippines ended matchday one in third with zero points and a -1 GD.
Sitting atop the group is host nation Tajikistan, which cruised to a 4-0 victory over Nepal.
Both Syria and the Philippines will be back in action at the same venue.
Syria faces Nepal in the earlier kickoff at 9 p.m. (Manila time), while the Philippines looks to bounce back against Tajikistan on Sunday at 12:00 a.m. (Manila time).
