Capas, Philippines: Philippines defeated Maldives, 4-1, Tuesday to kick off its campaign in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers at New Clark City Stadium.

Spanish Coach Albert Capellas’ side led 2-0 in the quarter-hour of play behind Jefferson Tabinas’ opener in the sixth minute and Bjorn Kristensen’s strike off Randy Schneider’s pass in the 18th.

Maldives who pull of a strong opening quarter in the second half, made the game interesting in the 62nd when Ali Fasir beat Philippine keeper Kevin Ray Mendoza to cut the deficit in half, only for Schneider to respond with the goal in the 77th that restored a two-goal advantage, his first goal for Philippines.

Another debutant, substitute Josef Baccay, also made an impression when he assisted Sandro Reyes for the home side’s fourth goal of the evening that came two minutes into stoppage time.

This marks the second defeat for Maldives at the hands of the Philippines, with the Azkals having previously beaten Maldives in the AFC Challenge Cup semi-final over a decade ago.

In the other Group A match, Tajikistan secured a 1-0 victory over Timor-Leste. The second round will take place in June, with Tajikistan facing the Philippines and Timor-Leste hosting Maldives.