Pakistan Fight Back to Draw Against Philippines

Islamabad: (Sports Desk) – Pakistan produced a remarkable comeback to draw 2-2 with the Philippines in the FIFA ASEAN Cup in Bandung, Indonesia, earning their first point of the tournament.

After falling two goals behind, Pakistan responded strongly through Ali Akbar Khan and Abdul Samad Arshad, who scored to bring the national side level. Ali Akbar also registered his first international goal for Pakistan, while Abdul Samad scored his second for the national team.

The result also saw Pakistan score their first goals in the competition. Their campaign had begun with a 4-0 defeat against Thailand in Group B, making the comeback against the Philippines particularly significant.

The Philippines, ranked 136th in the FIFA world rankings compared with Pakistan’s 198th, started brightly and put the Pakistani defence under sustained pressure. Goalkeeper Yousuf Butt made several important saves, while Muhibullah Afridi and Haris Zaeeb produced crucial defensive interventions.

The Philippines opened the scoring in the 24th minute when Sandro Reyes reacted quickest after a clearance attempt struck the crossbar and fired the rebound into the net.

Pakistan nearly responded immediately, with Ali Akbar breaking through the defence before his effort was saved by goalkeeper Kevin Ray Mendoza.

The Philippines doubled their advantage before half-time when they were awarded a penalty after the ball struck Mohammad Fazal’s hand inside the area. Bjorn Christensen converted from the spot, sending Yousuf Butt the wrong way.

Pakistan head coach Nolberto Solano made two changes at the interval, introducing Ali Agha and Hayyan Khattak in an effort to change the momentum.

The substitutions had an immediate impact. Just two minutes into the second half, captain Abdullah Iqbal found Ali Akbar on the left. The forward beat his marker before firing the ball through Mendoza’s legs to reduce the deficit.

Pakistan continued to press and were rewarded again when Abdul Samad Arshad collected the ball on the right, drove into the penalty area and cut inside before beating Mendoza to make it 2-2.

The equaliser gave Pakistan renewed confidence as they continued looking for a winning goal. Solano later introduced Abdul Rauf and Abdul Samad Khan, handing both players their international debuts.

The Philippines also threatened on the counter, but Pakistan’s defence made important blocks to keep the score level. Despite late pressure from Pakistan and strong support from the fans inside the stadium, neither side could find a decisive third goal.

The final whistle confirmed a 2-2 draw, giving Pakistan their first point of the tournament after an impressive recovery from two goals down.