AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers - Group K: Nepal 2-4 Syria; Philippines 1-0 Tajikistan

Dushanbe: Late goals from Mahmoud Alaswad and Mahmoud Nayef earned Syria a 4-2 come-from-behind win over Nepal in Dushanbe on Saturday as Maher Bahri’s team picked up their second victory in Group K of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 qualifiers.

The Philippines bounced back from their opening day defeat to secure a hard-fought 1-0 win over Tajikistan.

Nepal 2-4 Syria

Nepal midfielder Dipesh Gurung came close to giving Syria the lead when he crashed a long-range shot against the crossbar that was eventually gathered by goalkeeper Maksim Sarraf, but by the 26th minute the Syrians had taken the lead.

Alaswad’s attempt to play the ball across the face of goal was not cleared by the Nepalese defence and Almustafa had the easiest of finishes.

The Nepalese threatened again after the interval with Santosh Khatri hitting a dipping strike from distance in the 53rd minute that beat Sarraf only to again come back off the woodwork.

A little over two minutes later Nabine Neupane’s side did pull level, Dhami cutting inside from the left wing to bend a right-footed effort into the top corner.

By the 66th minute Nepal had taken the lead, Suresh scampering onto Sujan Magar’s pass into the penalty area before clipping a neat finish over Sarraf.

The Syrians pulled level through Alrina in the 73rd minute, the defender pushing the ball over the line after Nayef had headed Hassan Dahhan’s centre across the face of goal.

And with nine minutes left Alaswad completed the comeback, looping his header over the advancing goalkeeper after Anas Dahhan’s cross from the left while Nayef pounced from inside the six yard box to confirm the win.

Philippines 1-0 Tajikistan

After narrowly losing 2-1 against Syria in their opener, Philippines held their own against Tajikistan seeking a first win.

Despite their dominance, Tajikistan were unable to break the deadlock with the score remaining 0-0 going into the break.

With the match seemingly heading for a goalless stalemate, Philippines broke the deadlock in the 71st minute through Noah Leddel to seal the win.

The Philippines meet Nepal next while Tajikistan take on Syria on Tuesday.

Qualifiers - Group K: Nepal 2-4 Syria; Philippines 1-0 Tajikistan

Qualifiers - Matchday Two: Results & Reports

Qualifiers - Group B: Myanmar 1-2 Japan; Afghanistan 0-1 Kuwait

Qualifiers - Group C: Bangladesh 0-1 Yemen; Singapore 0-1 Vietnam

Qualifiers - Group G: Oman 0-1 Iraq; Pakistan 0-1 Cambodia

Qualifiers - Group J: Laos 0-7 Korea Republic; Macau 0-5 Indonesia