Pakistan hold Philippines in ASEAN

Ali, Samad strikes earn Shaheens first tournament point

Ali Akbar Khan scored his first international goal as Pakistan fought back from two goals down to hold Philippines 2-2 in their FIFA ASEAN Cup on Tuesday, earning their first point in the event.

Abdul Samad Arshad completed the comeback with his second international goal as Pakistan recovered from a 2-0 half-time deficit in a spirited performance in Indonesia.

Nolberto Solano's side had suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Thailand in their Group B opener, but showed impressive resilience in the second show against Philippines.

Ranked 198th in the world, Pakistan came under early pressure with goalkeeper Yousuf Butt denying Andre Leipold in a one-on-one situation.

Philippines broke the deadlock in the 24th minute when Sandro Reyes reacted quickly after Mohibullah Afridi's attempt to clear a header.

Pakistan threatened moments later when Ali Akbar broke through the defence, but his effort was saved by Kevin Ray Mendoza.

Philippines doubled their lead two minutes after the half-hour mark when Mohammad Fazal was penalised for handball inside the box. Bjorn Kristensen converted the resulting penalty, sending Butt the wrong way.

Solano made two changes at half-time, introducing Ali Agha and Hayyan Khattak, and Pakistan reduced the deficit just two minutes after the restart.

Ali Akbar collected Abdullah Iqbal's pass on the left, beat a defender and fired between Mendoza's legs for his first international goal.

Pakistan continued to press and were rewarded again when Abdul Samad won possession on the right, drove into the area and cut inside before firing past Mendoza to make it 2-2.

Solano earlier handed international debuts to Abdul Rehman and Abdul Samad Khan as Pakistan pushed for a winner.

Philippines survived sustained pressure late on, while Mohibullah made an important block at the other end to prevent a counterattack.

With Pakistan fans cheering from the stands, Shaheens pressed until the final whistle but had to settle for a point after a remarkable second-half recovery.