Bandung, September 29, 2026: Ali Akbar Khan scored his first international goal as Pakistan fought back from two goals down to hold the Philippines to a 2-2 draw in the FIFA ASEAN Cup on Tuesday.
Abdul Samad Arshad scored the equaliser as Pakistan secured their first goals and first point in their debut appearance in a FIFA competition.
The result came after Pakistan suffered a 4-0 defeat to Thailand in their Division I Group B opener, but Nolberto Solano’s side produced a spirited comeback against a Philippines team ranked more than 60 places higher in the FIFA rankings.
The Philippines, ranked 135th-136th in the world compared to Pakistan’s 198th position, put Pakistan under pressure from the start at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium.
Pakistan’s defence survived a series of crosses, with Mohibullah Afridi making a crucial clearance from a low cross, while goalkeeper Yousuf Butt denied André Leipold in a one-on-one situation.
The Philippines opened the scoring in the 24th minute. Mohibullah, positioned on the goal line, headed the ball onto the crossbar, but Sandro Reyes reacted quickly to the rebound and bundled it into the net.
Pakistan nearly responded immediately when Ali Akbar broke through, but his effort was saved by goalkeeper Kevin Ray Mendoza.
The hosts doubled their lead two minutes after the half-hour mark when Mohammad Fazal was penalised for handball inside the box. Bjørn Kristensen made no mistake from the spot, sending Yousuf the wrong way.
The Philippines continued to threaten, with Haris Zeb blocking a diving header and Yousuf making another important save. Pakistan had a chance on the counter before the break, but Alamgir Ghazi’s long-range effort went over the bar.
Solano made two changes at half-time, bringing on Ali Agha and Hayyan Khattak for Alamgir and Umar Nawaz.
The changes produced an immediate response. Two minutes into the second half, captain Abdullah Iqbal found Ali Akbar on the left. The forward beat a defender before firing the ball between Mendoza’s legs to score his maiden international goal.
Pakistan continued to push forward, and their pressure paid off again in the 60th minute.
Abdul Samad Arshad won possession on the right, drove into the penalty area, cut onto his left foot and fired past Mendoza to level the score at 2-2.
Solano later handed international debuts to left-back Abdul Rehman and Abdul Samad Khan, who replaced Fazal and Ali Uzair.
The Philippines threatened on the counter, but Mohibullah produced another important block from close range to keep Pakistan level.
With Pakistan fans cheering from the stands, the Green Shirts pushed for a winning goal, but the Philippines defence held firm until the final whistle.
The point keeps Pakistan’s Group B campaign alive ahead of their final fixture against Vietnam.
