Myanmar players celebrate their 4-1 victory over the Philippines in their second group B match of the ASEAN Cup 2026 on the afternoon of 28/7 at New Clark City stadium. *Photo: MFF*

Myanmar had opened their campaign with a 1-2 loss to Malaysia. To keep their hopes of reaching the semifinals alive, they needed to secure points against the Philippines, who were making their tournament debut after a bye.

Despite playing at their home ground, New Clark City, the visitors pressured the Philippines early on. Myanmar launched continuous attacks down the flanks, taking just 7 minutes to open the scoring. Following a corner kick combination from the right wing, Kyaw Min Oo headed the ball into the net from close range.

The Philippines offered weak resistance and created few dangerous opportunities in the first half. They were even forced to defend deep against the visitors' varied attacks. However, the hosts could only hold out until the 28th minute. Striker Than Paing broke the offside trap, easily slotting the ball past goalkeeper Kammeraad in a one-on-one situation, extending the lead to 2-0.

In the 32nd minute, referee Jin Jin Wang awarded a penalty to the Philippines, ruling that defender Maung Maung Lwin had committed a foul in the box. However, after 4 minutes of VAR review, Wang overturned his initial decision, awarding a goal kick to the visitors.

The Philippines made two substitutions at the start of the second half and began to improve, regaining control of the game and creating more dangerous attacks. After being denied once by the crossbar, the hosts finally scored to reduce the deficit to 1-2 in the 68th minute. Striker Gayoso evaded two defenders, received a through ball from Mariona, and fired a shot from close range into the roof of Myanmar's net.

The match became more dynamic afterward, but the home players squandered several good opportunities to equalize. Conversely, through a series of swift attacks, Myanmar exploited the Philippines' defensive weaknesses, scoring two quick goals in the 81st and 83rd minutes. Win Naing Tun and Than Paing each netted close-range headers, sealing a 4-1 victory.

The three points propelled Myanmar to second place in group B, level on points with Thailand and Malaysia but having played one more match. In the next round of fixtures, Myanmar will have a bye, while the Philippines will travel to Laos on 1/8.

Starting lineups:

Philippines: Kammeraad, Leddel, Rublico, Woods, Mrowka, Reyes, Kekkonen, Mariona, Sato, Bugas, Gayoso.

Myanmar: Zin Nyi Nyi Aung, Win Hein Phyo, Soe Moe Kyaw, Hein Zeyar Lin, Khant Myat Phone, Maung Maung Lwin, Kyaw Oo, Aung Lwin Moe, Khant Myat Kaung, Win Naing Tun, Than Paing.

Duc Dong