PHNOM PENH: Cambodia U23 will aim for its second straight win in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-23 Championship 2022 when it tackles the Philippines tonight.

The Philippines, one of the tournament’s favourites, was held to a 2-2 draw by Timor-Leste earlier, while Cambodia is coming off a resounding 6-0 victory over Brunei. It was one of Cambodia’s most impressive wins in the international football arena in the last few years.

The game between the Azkals and Koupreys will be played at the Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, starting at 7:00 pm.

Indonesia and Myanmar withdrew from the tournament after many of their players and team officials tested positive for Covid-19.

Malaysia and Singapore also reported several positive cases within their ranks but opted to push through with their participation in the regional championship.

The Azkals, who trailed for most of the game, were rescued from near-certain defeat by a pesky Marcel Ivan Ouano. The Filipino striker netted a brace and scored a crucial goal late in the game to keep the Timorese at bay.

Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Brunei and the Philippines are all in Group A, the group with the greatest number of teams. Group B was reduced to only two countries –Malaysia and Laos, while Group C is composed of Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

The three group winners plus the best second-placed team will advance to the semi-finals, which are scheduled for Feb 24. The tournament will conclude with the final match two days later.