Bjorn Kristensen’s brace salvages crucial draw for Philippines against Tajikistan in Asian Cup Qualifiers

The Philippine men’s national football team fought back from a deficit to secure a vital 2-2 draw against Tajikistan in a thrilling AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers match on Tuesday night, June 10, at the New Clark City Athletic Stadium. In front of a passionate crowd of 10,854 fans, Fil-Norwegian forward Bjorn Kristensen emerged as the hero, netting both goals for the Philippines to ensure a share of the points in interim head coach Carles Cuadrat’s debut.

The match, which was the Philippines’ second in the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying tournament, proved to be an exciting and physical encounter, marked by numerous bookings from the referee.

Kristensen opened the scoring for the Philippines in the 28th minute, capitalizing on a rebound from a Gerrit Holtmann free-kick that initially rattled the crossbar. His diving header sent the home crowd into a frenzy, giving the Azkals a dream start.

However, Tajikistan quickly responded, with Mabatshoev Shervoni pouncing on a defensive lapse just two minutes later to equalize in the 30th minute. The visitors then took the lead just before halftime, as Umarbaev Parvizdzhon calmly converted a penalty kick in the 42nd minute, awarded after Jesper Nyholm was deemed to have fouled Ehson Panshanbe inside the box. Tajikistan went into the break with a 2-1 advantage.

GOAL Bjorn Kristensen Diving Header vs Tajikistan PMNFT pic.twitter.com/ZYreFCtjWK

— Venice (@VenNotBen) June 10, 2025

Despite falling behind, the Philippines refused to surrender. They pushed hard in the second half, with Kristensen ultimately finding the equalizer in the 79th minute. He capitalized on a turnover by a Tajikistan substitute near their penalty box, racing down the middle to slot a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Yatimov Rustam.

“I feel we should win this game,” Kristensen expressed after the match, reflecting on the team’s performance. “The first half from us wasn’t good enough. The second half was good, we should have won it there, but the things we did in the first half were not good enough for the team, we have a lot of quality.”

The draw maintains the Philippines’ position at the top of Group A with four points, courtesy of a superior goal difference of +3 over Tajikistan, who also have four points. Only the top team from each of the six groups in this third round of qualification will advance to the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

The Philippine men’s national team will now prepare for their next challenge in October, facing Timor Leste in two crucial matches.

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