The Philippine Men’s National Football Team (PMNFT) battled to a 2-all draw against the higher-ranked Tajikistan in a bruising AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers match yesterday, June 10, at the New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.
Player of the Match Bjørn Kristensen bagged a brace, opening the scoring for the Philippines in the 28th minute and later netting the equalizer in the 79th. Tajikistan responded quickly through Shervoni Mabatshoev, who struck from just outside the box in the 30th minute, before gaining a temporary advantage courtesy of Umarbaev Parvizdzhon’s penalty in the 42nd.
A battle from the start
With interim Head Coach Carles Cuadrat at the helm for the first time, the Philippine Men’s National Football Team was intent on making a statement to open his tenure. A shaky start by Tajikistan’s Yatimov Rustam opened up Gerrit Holtmann for a shot, but it went wide. Still, Holtmann’s efforts inspired the Filipinos early on. The home team ramped up their high press, rushing the Tajikistan defenders in their passing, which opened up Kristensen for a shot at the goal. Despite their missed chances, the Philippines controlled the tempo in the first 15 minutes. The blue shirts distributed the ball to their wingers, looking to challenge the opponents’ defense with their pace.
The white shirts eventually rallied back, forcing the Philippine defense to execute their tactics. Even with Tajikistan’s improved performance, it was the Philippines that struck first. Kristensen headed the ball into the goal in the 28th minute after Holtmann’s free kick hit the posts, 1-0. The Philippines’ euphoria, however, would be short-lived. Just two minutes later, Mabatshoev immediately equalized from a goalkeeping blunder by Kevin Mendoza, 1-all.
With the game level, tempers started flaring on the pitch, as yellow cards were handed out by the referee after both sides started playing more physically. The Philippines continued to attack from the wings in hopes of taking the lead once again. Holtmann remained as a threat, cutting from the right as he drew many defenders to halt his rhythm. However, Tajikistan launched a counterattack, which led to a penalty after the Philippine defenders struggled to contain the play. In the 42nd minute, Parvizdzhon gave the visitors the lead from the penalty spot, raising alarm bells for the blue shirts, 2-1. Sandro Reyes tried to rally back, running past many Tajikistani defenders, but his pass would be too strong for Kristensen to convert. The Philippines were unable to find another goal as they ended the first half down by a goal, 2-1.
High-stakes havoc
The second half of the clash turned into a bruising contest of resolve and ambition. The pace intensified immediately, with both teams shredding any remaining caution from the first half. In front of the 10,854-strong crowd was a series of relentless physicality and a flurry of yellow cards. Neither side held back as they battled for control in the midfield, and at times, the match teetered on the edge of chaos.
Tajikistan, buoyed by their 2-1 halftime lead, tried to dictate the rhythm early. But the home team responded with an aggressive, more urgent press. By the 51st minute, crunching midfield collisions had become the norm. Players from both sides went down under pressure, drawing gasps from the crowd, but there was often no whistle, settling the tone for what was to come. Spurred by a sense of urgency, the Philippines tackled harder, closed down faster, and fought for every second ball on their end. It was a version of the Filipino squad rarely seen at home or away: gritty, combative, and emotionally charged.
Iranian referee Hasan Akrami had his hands full as tactical fouls and heated exchanges piled up, making the yellow card the match’s most used accessory in no time. It was evident, however, that the physicality was not reckless; it was the natural outcome of two teams desperate for the upper hand.
With a fiery battle developing throughout the second half, a breakthrough for the blue shirts finally came in the 79th minute when Kristensen, already with one goal to his name, seized a rare mistake from the Tajik backline. Substitute Olimzoda Fathullo from Tajikistan, who was under pressure near his own penalty box, mishandled a pass. Kristensen pounced, intercepting cleanly before bursting into the open space and dispatching a clinical finish past Yatimov to level the game at 2-all. This marked Kristensen’s third goal in two qualifying matches—a stellar performance from the 23-year-old Norwegian-born Filipino forward since committing to the national team. Only a minute later, Samiev Shahrom clattered into Josef Baccay and was booked by a yellow card, creating a snapshot of the evening’s tension.
In the final stretch, both teams pushed for a winner, but the physical toll of the encounter began to show. Randy Schneider continued to orchestrate from deep, while late substitute Christian Rontini kept pressing on Tajikistan with high intensity. The hosts came up big in the six minutes of added time, with back-to-back crucial interceptions as the visitors shaped up for potential final shots. Ultimately, neither side could break the deadlock, closing the match at 2-all at full time.
After the game, Coach Cuadrat highlighted the prowess of the higher-ranked Tajikistan, but acknowledged the small lapses that cost the Philippines the win. “Of course, before the game, we knew it would be a difficult game. We tried our best, we put all our forwards that we have in the game to try to get the result, but the small details didn’t allow us to get the three points,” he explained.
Player of the Game Kristensen added that while his team did not have the best first half, they rallied back after the break to steal a draw, “I don’t think we showed up in the first half. We did our best to bounce back, [and] luckily we got a point.”
After this draw, the PMNFT dropped to second in Group A of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers. They aim to maintain their undefeated run when they take on Timor-Leste on October 9.
