THE final day of the Group B matches of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship took place at the Thuwunna Youth Training Centre in Yangon yesterday. The Myanmar U23 team faced Afghanistan and suffered a 2-1 defeat.
Although Myanmar had already lost the opportunity to advance after the second day of group matches, the team aimed to secure a win for pride in this final match. Myanmar finished the group stage with no wins, one draw, and two losses, earning just one point.
Under the guidance of Japanese head coach Kurosaki, the Myanmar U23 side continued a struggling streak in international competitions, having not won in four recent international friendlies and five previous international tournaments – a total of nine consecutive matches without victory.
For this match, Myanmar made several lineup changes, fielding Akar Kyaw, Than Toe Aung, Hein Htet Soe (goalkeeper), Swan Htet, Moe Swe, and Shine Wunna Aung. In the opening minutes, Myanmar applied pressure, but Afghanistan gradually gained control. In 18 minutes, Afghanistan took the lead through Mohammadi from a corner kick. Myanmar responded aggressively, and in 40 minutes, Swan Htet scored a header to equalize, bringing the first half to a 1-1 draw.
In the second half, both teams played offensively, but Afghanistan secured the winning goal in the 90th minute through Yasa Safari, sealing Myanmar’s 2-1 defeat.
At the conclusion of the group stage, Afghanistan finished with three points from three matches, while Myanmar earned only one point, extending their winless streak in consecutive U23 matches to six games. — Ko Nyi Lay/KZL
