Ali Akbar Khan scored his first international goal to spark a stirring fightback as Pakistan came from two goals down to hold the Philippines to a 2-2 draw in the FIFA ASEAN Cup on Tuesday, with Abdul Samad Arshad netting the equaliser.

Nolberto Solano’s men had suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat in their Division I Group ‘B’ opener against Thailand, but they showed remarkable resilience and powers of recovery in a gritty performance. The draw delivered Pakistan their first goals and first point in their debut appearance in a FIFA competition.

The result carried extra significance given the ranking gap — Pakistan, ranked 198th in the world, faced a Philippines side sitting 135th–136th — a difference of more than 60 places.

Pakistan were put under early pressure by the higher-ranked hosts of the group stage fixture at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium. The defence dealt with a barrage of crosses, with Mohibullah Afridi putting his body on the line to turn a low cross behind for a corner, while goalkeeper Yousuf Butt denied André Leipold in a one-on-one situation.

The Philippines broke the deadlock with a scrappy goal in the 24th minute. Mohibullah, on the line, turned a header onto the bar, but Sandro Reyes reacted quickest to the rebound and bundled it home. Pakistan responded with their first real chance minutes later when Ali Akbar broke through only to see his effort saved by a diving Kevin Ray Mendoza.

The miss proved costly. Two minutes past the half-hour mark, a handball by Mohammad Fazal inside the box led to a penalty. Bjørn Kristensen sent Yousuf the wrong way from the spot to make it 2-0. The Philippines continued to press, with centre-back Haris Zeb blocking a diving header and Yousuf called into action again. Late in the half, Pakistan countered but Alamgir Ghazi shot high from distance.

Solano made two changes at the break, introducing Ali Agha and Hayyan Khattak for Alamgir and Umar Nawaz. The adjustments paid immediate dividends. Two minutes into the second half, skipper Abdullah Iqbal found Ali Akbar on the left. The forward weaved past a defender and slotted the ball between Mendoza’s legs for his maiden international goal.

Pakistan kept pushing. Hayyan shot wide moments later, and on the hour mark a cutback failed to reach Ali Akbar. The equaliser soon arrived: Abdul Samad Arshad won the ball on the right, drove into the box, cut onto his left foot and fired past a helpless Mendoza for his second international goal, making it 2-2.

Solano later handed international debuts to left-back Abdul Rehman and Abdul Samad Khan, replacing Fazal and Ali Uzair, as Pakistan continued to attack. At the other end, Mohibullah produced another vital block from point-blank range on a Philippines counter. With Pakistan fans in the stands urging them on, the Green Shirts pressed for a winner but the Philippines held firm.

The hard-earned point keeps Pakistan’s campaign alive in Group ‘B’ ahead of their final fixture against Vietnam.