The Green Shirts fell 2-0 behind in the first half after Sandro Reyes opened the scoring in the 24th minute before Bjørn Kristensen converted a penalty eight minutes later to double the Philippines’ advantage.
Pakistan responded strongly after the interval. Just two minutes into the second half, Muhammad Ali Akbar Khan received a lofted pass from captain Abdullah Iqbal before beating goalkeeper Kevin Mendoza to reduce the deficit to 2-1. FIFA confirmed the goal as Pakistan’s first in the competition.
Pakistan continued to press for an equaliser and were rewarded in the 62nd minute when Abdul Shahzad won possession, drove into the box and finished past Mendoza to level the match at 2-2.
The Philippines attempted to regain the lead in the closing stages, but Pakistan’s defence held firm. Neither side could find a winning goal as the match ended in a draw.
The result gave Pakistan their first point in Group B after their 4-0 defeat to Thailand in their opening match. The draw also keeps Pakistan’s campaign alive ahead of their final group-stage fixture against Vietnam.
The comeback was particularly notable as Pakistan faced a Philippines side ranked significantly higher in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking.