THE Philippines failed to gain an outright entry to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup after a 4-0 loss to Palestine on Tuesday at the close of the qualifiers at the MFF Training Centre in Ulaanbaatar.
The Azkals’ bid for a return to the Asian Cup hangs in the balance with the loss to the Palestinians, who topped Group B after their third win in as many games. A win would have enabled the Azkals to automatically enter the Asian Cup as the top team in the group.
See Holtmann scores as Azkals stay in hunt with win over Mongolia
With its first defeat after a scoreless draw against Yemen and a 1-0 victory over Mongolia, the Azkals will have to wait for the results of the other matches of the day, hoping that they end up among the five best second-placers in the six groups to advance to the tournament proper next year.
As of posting time, the Azkals are in second with four points in Group B followed by Yemen with one point. Yemen will play host Mongolia later tonight.
Matches between Indonesia against Nepal in Group A and Malaysia against Bangladesh in Group E will also have a significant effect on the Philippines’ chances of advancing to the tournament.

The Philippines is currently in fourth place among the second-placers with Indonesia and Malaysia occupying the last two spots with three points apiece.
Azkals goalkeeper Neil Etheridge conceded four goals in the match. Saleh Chihadeh scored the first goal on a header in the 32nd minute, and the lead doubled on another header by Tamer Seyam in the 42nd minute.
Mohammed Yamin and Mahmoud Abuwarda also knocked in goals in the 55th and 72nd minute respectively.
The Azkals made it to the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in history in 2019.
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