The Philippine Men’s Under-23 National Team closed its 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification campaign with a commanding 4-0 win over Nepal, but the emphatic result was not enough as the squad still fell short of a berth in the tournament proper on Tuesday at the Republican Central Stadium in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Otu Banatao opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, finishing off a clever setup from Sandro Reyes.
Just six minutes later, Javier Mariona doubled the lead from the penalty spot after being fouled inside the box by Nepal defender Bishal Nepali.
(C) The-AFC.com
The Philippines continued to dictate the tempo after halftime.
Dov Cariño tapped in the third goal in the 81st minute, capitalizing on a rebound from Reyes’ initial effort.
Four minutes later, Reyes put his own name on the scoresheet with a well-taken free kick to seal the emphatic win.
Despite the dominant display, the Philippines finished only second in Group K with six points from two wins and one loss, ranking seventh among the second-placed teams — outside the cut for qualification.
(C) The-AFC.com
Syria, meanwhile, topped the group with nine points after a 1-0 win over host Tajikistan, securing its place in the 16-team competition.
With their Asian Cup dream ended, the U-23 squad will now turn its attention to the 33rd Southeast Asian Games later this year in Thailand.
