Sri Lanka 1 - Philippines 1; Palestine 2 - Afghanistan 0

Palestine visited Tajikistan in Afghanistan's designated home leg, and the guests did not repay their hosts kindly. Super hot striker Murad Alyan knocked home his fifth goal in four matches for Palestine before the half-hour mark, but the game stood delicately poised at 1-0 until Palestine substitute Ismail Alamour knocked homed the second goal at the death of regular time.

Palestine finds themselves with a massive 2-0 lead in the aggregate series, built upon a solid foundation of two away goals. Palestine will be pleased to take the lead back home for their first ever FIFA World Cup qualifying match on home soil. Afghanistan will be hard pressed to advance to face Thailand in the second round.

The match which many considered the best of the day did not disappoint. The Azkals of the Philippines visited Sri Lanka in Colombo. It was the visiting side that dominated possesion early, but it was the home side that took the narrowest of leads into halftime after a late goal in spite of sparse support. The Philippines looked to be reeling after star striker Phil Younghusband (pictured on right) was subbed out three minutes before Sri Lanka's goal due to injury. However, the Philippines wasted no time in overcoming the deficit, with Younghusband's replacement Nate Burkey scoring a mere five minutes into the second half. Neither team was able to push for the ultimate victory, and the match ended as the first draw in the tournament, and the only draw on the day, thanks in no small part to the Philippines' goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.

Keen observers will turn their focus to the return leg in the Philippines in four days time, with second round opponent Kuwait being the most interested observers of all. With the aggregate score tied and two teams evenly matched, the hungry Filipino crowd may prove the decisive factor for its Azkals, a side that chose not to compete in the previous FIFA World Cup. The stadium in Manila is already sold out, and the Philippines have already begun preparations for ticket sales for the potential Kuwait match.

Goals:

Palestine

Murad Alyan 28

Ismail Alamour 89

Sri Lanka

Chathura Gunarathna 43

Philippines

Nate Burkey 50

Match reports:

http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/fifa-world-cup/35505-afghanistan-v-palestine

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/224793/sports/azkals-tie-sri-lanka-in-away-match-with-sparse-crowd (VIDEO included)

http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/06/30/spo02.asp

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yupe9q6Hz8 (Sri Lanka v. Philippines)