The Azkals succumbed to their first defeat after a scoreless draw against Yemen and a 1-0 victory over Mongolia, but the team could have topped the group if they defeated the Palestinians, who topped Group B.

The Azkals had a rough game as the power play of Palestine captain Musab Battat and Saleh Chihadeh gave the team a 1-0 advantage just 32 minutes into the match.

Palestine continued to crush Azkals as Tamer Seyam doubled the team’s lead at the 42’ mark until Abuwarda stole the ball from Azkals’ substitute Dylan de Bruycker and made a cross following a couple of dribbles toward the left side of the penalty box.

Philippine goalkeeper Neil Etheridge initially rejected Mohammed Yamin’s header, but since the ball bounced off his chest, the referee called that the ball crossed the line, giving another score to Palestine at 55 minutes.

Since the Azkals are now tied for the fourth position with Indonesia and Malaysia, they must wait for the results of Group A’s Indonesia and Kuwait, as well as Group E’s Malaysia and Turkmenistan, and hope to be among the top five second-place finishers in the six groups to qualify for the tournament proper next year.