The Taiwan men’s national soccer team manager and players said their 2-1 loss to Turkmenistan and subsequent ousting from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup finals was reality check for the team.
Taiwan’s elimination was confirmed on Tuesday night, when visiting Bahrain defeated Singapore 3-0 in their Group E match.
Turkmenistan and Bahrain lead Group E with 10 points in three wins and one draw, with both advancing to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals in the United Arab Emirates.
Taiwan and Singapore were eliminated from their final matches as neither having enough aggregate points to catch the top two teams, with Taiwan on six points after two wins and three losses, and Singapore with two points in two draws after five matches.
Captain Chen Po-liang said it was a wake-up call for some complacent players.
“I do not want to give excuses for this defeat. Maybe it will allow us to see more clearly. Because we won against Bahrain in the last game, many players thought too highly of themselves. Even though this defeat hurts, maybe now we know the real level we are at and can work hard to improve ourselves,” Chen said.
British-born former English Premier League Wigan Athletic player Tim Chow, who recently obtained his citizenship to play for Taiwan, was praised by fans in his attacking midfielder role. He was a constant threat on offense and covered a wide range on the pitch helping to defend against opposition runs.
“I was disappointed with the result, it was my first start with the Taiwan national team. I had looked forward to this match, but the result was not to our satisfaction,” Chow said. “However, I can fell this team is changing and improving in the right direction. I believed that I have made contributions on offense and on defense, but unfortunately I could not score a goal for the team. I had some chances, but did not convert. Overall I am pleased with my performance in the game.”
“We played well in the second half, but not good enough to win this match. Our players picked up their performance and got into the game too late. We had a team full of young players and they were up against a well-experienced Turkmenistan side. If we had more time in the game, I think we would have had a different result,” Team Taiwan manager Gary White said.
“I have been in charge for seven weeks now and we are happy to see the team has changed. I do not believe this defeat is the end, but a new start for soccer in Taiwan. I feel proud of the players and they can hold their heads with pride. They work diligently to change Taiwan soccer for the better,” he added.
Singapore is to visit Taiwan on March 27 next year for the remaining AFC Cup qualifier game.
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