Syria Completes Dominant Double Over Myanmar With Late Surge in Yangon

YANGON, Myanmar — The scoreline suggested a comfortable victory. The narrative told a different story entirely.

For 80 minutes Tuesday at Thuwunna Stadium, Myanmar managed what seemed impossible just five days earlier: They kept Syria's potent attack at bay, frustrating a side that had demolished them 5-1 in the reverse fixture. Then, in a brutal seven-minute span, the dam broke completely.

Pablo Sabbag's brace, sandwiched around Mohammad Alsalkhadi's clinical finish, turned what had been a resilient defensive performance into another sobering defeat for Myanmar in Asian Cup qualifying. The 3-0 scoreline perhaps flattered Syria, but in international football, late goals count the same as early ones, and the visitors needed no reminding after they'd been held scoreless deep into the second half.

The contrast between the two matches couldn't have been starker. Five days ago in Syria, Omar Kharbin ran riot with a hat trick inside the opening 71 minutes, with Alsalkhadi adding another as Syria cruised to a 5-1 triumph. Myanmar's lone consolation came in stoppage time, a mere footnote to a dominant display. This time, Myanmar head coach clearly adjusted his tactics, sitting deeper and daring Syria to break them down through patient buildup rather than devastating counters.

For the better part of 80 minutes, it worked. Syria probed and pressed, but Myanmar's defensive organization held firm. The home crowd at Thuwunna Stadium grew louder with each passing minute, sensing an improbable result that would restore some pride after the humiliation five days prior. Perhaps they grew too hopeful.

Then Sabbag struck. The striker, who had been largely anonymous through the match, found space in the box in the 80th minute and buried his chance with the composure of a player who knew the breakthrough had been inevitable. Myanmar's heads dropped. Syria's rose.

Five minutes later, Sabbag doubled his tally, this time exploiting gaps that had begun appearing as Myanmar pushed desperately for an equalizer they'd never seriously threatened to score. The stadium fell silent except for the small contingent of Syrian supporters. At 2-0, the floodgates opened.

Alsalkhadi, who had tormented Myanmar in the first meeting with a goal in the 29th minute, added his name to the scoresheet again in the 87th minute. Three goals in seven minutes. The cruel mathematics of international football rendered Myanmar's resilient performance largely meaningless in the broader context of qualification.

The defeat extends Myanmar's troubling form, with just one point from a 1-1 draw against Singapore in a September friendly providing any recent consolation. Syria, meanwhile, continues to demonstrate the gulf in class despite their own inconsistent preparations — a 2-2 draw with Kuwait and a 3-1 loss to the United Arab Emirates in September friendlies suggested vulnerability, but against Myanmar they've now scored eight goals across two matches.

The timing of Syria's goals proved particularly devastating for Myanmar's qualification hopes. In Asian Cup qualifying, goal difference can prove decisive, and conceding three times in the match's final 10 minutes magnified the damage beyond the three points lost. Myanmar now faces an uphill battle not just to secure results but to avoid further heavy defeats that could mathematically eliminate them before the final matchday.

For Syria, the victory consolidates their position in the qualification race, though they'll know that against stronger opposition, waiting 80 minutes to break through won't suffice. Sabbag's late heroics papered over what had been a frustrating performance, but goals scored is the only statistic that ultimately matters in the standings.

Myanmar's next challenge will be finding a way to translate defensive resilience into actual points. Holding strong for 80 minutes means nothing without the full 90, and in international football's unforgiving arithmetic, moral victories earn exactly zero points. Syria has now demonstrated twice in five days that they possess not just superior talent, but the patience and killer instinct to exploit even the smallest defensive lapses.

The qualification window continues, and for Myanmar, the margin for error has vanished entirely.