The Afghanistan national football team lost 5-1 to the Syria national team in their sixth and final match of the third qualifying round for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, failing to secure any victories and missing out on qualifying for the final stage.
This match, which was a return game between the two teams, was hosted by Syria at the “Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal” Stadium in Saudi Arabia. Afghanistan started the match with goalkeeper Keywan Metqian, players Mahboob Hanfi, Amjad Arzo, Naveed Mahboobi, Ahmad Shakib Meheri, Ali Basit Nazari, Masoor Ahadi (captain), Ilyas Mansoor, Mohammad Zarif Arifi, Syed Aref Akbar, and Ali Reza Yanahi.
Syria quickly took the lead in the 4th minute through Mohammad Al-Salhadi. However, Ali Reza Yanahi equalized for Afghanistan in the 23rd minute with a long-range shot. The first half ended 1-1, with Keywan Metqian also saving a penalty.
In the second half, Syria completely took control of the game and scored four more goals, with Mohammad Al-Halaq scoring in the 50th minute, Mohammad Al-Mustafa scoring twice in the 58th and 82nd minutes, and Mohammad Al-Aswad scoring in the 90+3rd minute.
This match took place with Syria missing two of their key players, Omar Al-Soma and Mohammad Kharbin. On the other hand, the Afghanistan team had changes in their lineup compared to the first leg due to forced substitutions.
With this victory, Syria finished at the top of the group with six wins from six games, earning a perfect 18 points, and qualified for the final stage. The team scored a total of 21 goals and conceded only two.
In the other match of the group, Myanmar defeated Pakistan 2-1, finishing in second place with 12 points. Afghanistan, with two draws and four losses, earned only two points and finished in third place.
In total, Afghanistan scored four goals and conceded 11 in six matches, ending the qualification stage with a goal difference of -7.
