IN the final Group E match of the 2027 Asian Cup third-round qualifiers, the Myanmar national team defeated Pakistan 2-1 away on 31 March at Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Myanmar secured the victory with second-half goals and completed a double win over Pakistan across both legs. Although Myanmar did not qualify from the third-round qualifiers, they managed to win both home-andaway matches against Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Head coach U Myo Hlaing Win fielded the main players in the starting lineup, making only two changes from the match against Afghanistan on 26 March.

In the first half, Pakistan controlled possession at times, allowing Myanmar to apply more pressure, but poor coordination in attack prevented clear scoring chances, and the half ended goalless.

At the start of the second half, Myanmar opened the scoring capitalizing on a defensive mistake by Pakistan, when a back pass led to a mishit clearance by goalkeeper Hannis that went into the net. Myanmar continued to dominate, and in 59 minutes, Than Paing scored the second goal following an assist from Lwin Moe Aung.

Near the end of the match, Pakistan pulled one goal back through a header by Sharjeel Durrani.

After all Group E matches, Myanmar finished with 12 points from six matches, while Pakistan collected two points. — Ko Nyi Lay/KZL