Taiwan completed their preparations for their AFC Challenge Cup qualifying games with a 3-0 victory over BML champions Taipei City at Bailing Bridge in Taipei yesterday evening.
The expat side made a good impression early on as both teams created scoring chances. However, on 15 minutes, Taipower striker Chiang Shih-lu struck a spectacular left foot shot from outside the penalty area into the roof of the net to put Taiwan ahead.
The goal failed to rattle City and both sides continued to press forward, Taiwan playing quick passing interchanges and the expats relying more on the long ball.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
Taiwan's attacks down the flanks looked increasingly dangerous and it was only some desperate defending that kept the national side's lead to just the one goal.
The expats managed to rally toward the end of the half, with Omar Malcolm's long throws into the box causing Taiwan some difficulties, but it was the national side who had the last chance of the half, albeit a tame poke that was easily saved by City keeper Neil O'Maonaigh-Lennon.
Taiwan started the second half strongly, with a long shot flying past O'Maoanaigh-Lennon's left post and Chiang missing a good chance after a cross from the right by Tsai Sheng-an.
The goal scorer made amends moments later when his left foot shot beat the keeper to put Taiwan two up after 53 minutes.
Taiwan took increasing control with Chiang again going close after a break down the left and a dangerous cross from the right by Liang Chien-wei was just hooked away by City's Matt Wharton on the hour mark.
Two-goal Chiang now had his tail up, trying another long range shot which flew over the bar.
Still, City threatened sporadically and had an appeal for a penalty turned down when Canadian striker Steven Raymond was bundled over in the penalty area.
Taiwan continued to stream forward and Lo Chih-en almost made it three, but he could only put his shot wide of the post.
Soon after Lo headed a good chance straight at substitute keeper Sam Ellis following good work down the right by Liang. It was third time unlucky for City in the 75th minute though, when Lo broke down the middle holding off the City defense before slotting a left foot shot into the bottom left corner of the net.
There was a worrying moment for Taiwan when striker Chiang went down following a challenge late in the game. Fortunately he was able to get to his feet after treatment, albeit gingerly.
City made a last effort to get on the score sheet when Ross Conlon delivered a good cross from the left, which was cleared. From the ensuing corner Daniel Calvert made impressive contact with a header only to see it fly straight at the Taiwan keeper.
The final whistle blew soon after, with both sides able to be satisfied with their performances. Taiwan can take heart from the win ahead of their AFC Challenge Cup games and City can hold their heads high, having given the national side a run for their money.
When Kim Ye-ji first tried shooting at age 12 she could not lift the gun. Now, she is the world’s most Internet-famous Olympic shooter, thanks to her steel nerves — and Elon Musk. Kim, 32, won silver in the women’s 10m air pistol at the Paris Olympics this summer and captured the Internet’s attention with her nonchalant cool. However, she said she fell into her sport by accident. When her middle-school teacher asked for volunteers to try shooting, Kim did not raise her hand, but was selected anyway. Despite being too small to hoist the pistol, she was hooked. “I thought it looked
Taiwanese swimmer Hsu Wen-erh on Monday finished her solo swim around Manhattan Island to become the first Taiwanese and only the 334th person to finish the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, after abandoning her first attempt in New York on Sunday. “Who says, I’ll come back couldn’t means the next day?” she wrote on Facebook on Monday, after returning to the water to complete New York’s 48.5km 20 Bridges Swim, the final leg of her Triple Crown campaign. Trailed by a kayak flying Taiwan’s national flag, Hsu went on to finish the brutal swim in 9 hours, 5 minutes, to capture
LISBON UPSET: Feyenoord’s coach said that his players might not have realized what they had achieved in winning away against Portuguese giants SL Benfica MANCHESTER, England, and LISBON Erling Haaland on Wednesday scored an outrageous backheel volley in the UEFA Champions League to issue a timely reminder of his own credentials as a potential Ballon d’Or winner. A day after Vinicius Junior hit a hat-trick for Real Madrid, Haaland scored an early contender for goal of the season with his acrobatic effort in Manchester City’s 5-0 win against Sparta Prague. Vinicius Junior is the favorite to win soccer’s most prestigious individual prize, which is to be presented at a gala ceremony in Paris on Monday, but Haaland, who was runner-up to Lionel Messi for last year’s award,
Brazil superstar Neymar on Monday returned to action following more than a year out, with the Al-Hilal forward appearing as a second-half substitute in his side’s gripping 5-4 win against Asian champions Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker, 32, had not played since rupturing his meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while on international duty in October last year. Neymar, who underwent surgery and a sustained period of rehabilitation, is his country’s all-time leading goalscorer, with 79 goals in 128 appearances. Named on the Al-Hilal bench for the first time since