The Philippines fell to a 1-0 loss to Iraq while Malaysia suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Oman in their Round 2 qualifiers of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
In the Group F match that was played at the Basra International Stadium in Basra, the Philippines soaked up much of the offensive Iraqi play only to be done in by a late Mohanad Ali strike.
Seven minutes to the end, a long pass from Al Ammari saw Mohanad Ali squeezing his effort past the onrushing Etheridge for the winner.
The win saw Iraq opening up a five-point lead over Indonesia at the top of Group F while the Philippines remained rooted at the bottom of the standings.
The Philippines will take on Iraq again on 26 March 2024 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.
In the meantime, Malaysia suffered their first defeat in Group D when they fell to a 2-0 loss to Oman at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat.
Following a first half deadlock, Oman finally broke through in the 58th minute when Ali Sulaiman Al Busaidi’s low cross saw Issam Al Sabhi smashing it home.
And two minutes to the end, Muhsen Saleh Al Ghassani made sure of the full points at home thanks to the cut back from Jameel Al Yahmadi.
The win saw Oman moving up to the top of Group D as Malaysia slipped down to third.
The return tie will be played on 26 March 2024 in Kuala Lumpur.
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