Philippines gave it a real go but were ultimately outclassed by Syria as they fell to a 5-2 defeat in their opening Group A tie in the second round qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
It took the hosts just six minutes to open the scoring at the Panaad Park and Stadium when Angel Guirado’s flick-on from the edge of the box found Javier Patino, who instinctively met it with a bullet header into the back of the net.
But it took Syria just eight minutes to equalise and it was no surprise that it was Omar Al-Soma who got them back in the contest, as he Hussein Jwayed’s right-wing delivery with a trademark towering header past Michael Falkesgaard.
Khaled Al-Mobayed then fired the visitors ahead on the half-hour mark after dancing his way past Alvaro Silva and scoring with an emphatic finish, and a Firas Al-Khatib penalty four minutes into the second half – after Daisuke Sato had been penalised for handball – soon made it 3-1.
The contest was effectively over in the 55th minute when Al-Soma netted his second of the evening with another head, but the Azkals refused to throw in the towel and deserve credit for pulling one back in the 84th minute through Mike Ott’s close-range finish.
Nonetheless, the evening always belonged to Syria and they wrapped up the win with four minutes remaining via a clinical foray forward, with Mahmoud Al-Mawas applying the finishing touches for his side’s fifth.
PHILIPPINES: Michael Falkesgaard, Martin Steuble, Alvaro Silva, Daisuke Sato, Patrick Reichelt (Mike Ott 78’), John-Patrick Strauss, Kevin Ingreso, Iain Ramsay (Carli de Murga 71’), Stephan Schrock, Javier Patino, Angel Guirado (Mark Hartmann 63’).
SYRIA: Ibrahim Alma, Hussein Jwayed (Khaled Kerdaghli 65’), Omar Midani, Ahmad Al-Salih, Amro Jenyat, Khaled Al-Mobayed (Abdullah Al-Shami 90’), Zaher Midani, Mahmoud Al-Mawas, Firas Al-Khatib (Kamel Hamisha 82’), Ward Salama, Omar Al-Soma.
