The Philippines repulsed Nepal, 4-0, on Tuesday evening, but still missed the cut for the tournament proper of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026.
Early goals from Out Banatao and Javier Mariona handed the Filipinos a 2-0 halftime lead and the momentum to secure second place in Group K at the Republic Central Stadium in Tajikistan.
Banatao opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, connecting on a through ball from captain Sandro Reyes and sending a looping header past goalkeeper Amit Tamatta. Six minutes later, Mariona doubled the advantage after weaving past Tamatta and converting a spot-kick, having been fouled by defender Bishal Nepali.
In the second half, Dov Carino pounced on a rebound and slotted home from close range in the 81st minute. Reyes capped the victory four minutes later with a curling 25-meter free kick.
The Philippines wrapped up their campaign with a 2-0-1 record (win-draw-loss), finishing behind group leader Syria, which advanced to the next stage after sweeping its three matches.
Elsewhere, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Uzbekistan and China secured qualification as the best second-placed teams, edging the Philippines on tiebreak scores. The Saudi Arabia-hosted main event is scheduled for January next year.
Syria sealed its berth in dramatic fashion, scoring six minutes into stoppage time to stun host Tajikistan, 1-0.
In all, 15 teams advanced to the final tournament, including the 11 group winners: Jordan, Japan, Vietnam, Australia, Kyrgyz Republic, Thailand, Iraq, Qatar, Iran, and North Korea.
