AFC U-23 Asian Cup: Philippines end campaign with dominant win against Nepal

A dominant 4-0 win against Nepal on Tuesday was not enough for the Philippines Men’s Under-23 National Team to qualify for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup next year.

The Philippines closed out their U-23 Asian Cup campaign in second place in Group K with six points and a 2-1 slate to finish seventh in the second-placed group, while Syria topped the group with nine points to secure a spot in next year’s tournament.

The Filipinos controlled the match from the very start as forward Otu Banatao blasted one into the net to draw first blood in the 33rd minute, 1-0.

Javier Mariona followed it up in the 39th minute at the penalty spot following a foul by Nepal defender Bishal Nepali.

The Nepalese players could not get any meaningful chances as Dov Cariño scored a tap-in off of skipper Leandro Reyes in the 81st minute to extend the lead. Reyes then secured the finishing touches with a rocket free-kick in the 85th minute.

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✨ AFC U23 ASIAN CUP QUALIFIERS | Group K

FT: Philippines 🇵🇭 4️⃣ – 0️⃣ 🇳🇵 Nepal#AFCU23 #ASEANFootball pic.twitter.com/MnjXroqc7J

— ASEAN FOOTBALL (@theaseanball) September 9, 2025

Despite the dominant performance, Reyes admitted mixed emotions during the game due to the uncertainty of their qualifying hopes.

“Our first objective was really to score as many goals as possible. Honestly, we didn’t know what to feel, even at 4-0. We didn’t know if it would be enough. But the effort was there, the fight was there, and at this point, it’s out of our control,” Reyes said.

The win marks the country’s best finish in the tournament since 2024, when they only finished with a lone win, while also displaying the squad’s recent improvements this year after winless runs in the past iterations.

The Philippines will next compete in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December.

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