Hualien City on Saturday clinched this year’s Taiwan Mulan Football League title with one game to spare, by beating Taichung Blue Whale 2-1 at Fu Jen Catholic University in New Taipei City.
Hualien City have scored 38 points this season. Blue Whale are second on the scoreboard with 30 points, while Taipei Bravo are third with 23 points. One final round of matches is to be played on Saturday.
It is the fourth league trophy for Hualien City, and ends Blue Whale’s three-year winning streak. Hualien had won the title from 2014 to 2016.
Photo courtesy of CTFA
Both teams defended well, leaving few chances in front of goal through most of the first half, although Blue Whale squandered several good opportunities inside the final third.
In the 42nd minute, attacking midfielder Lin Kai-ling duped the opposition by shooting with her left foot and sent the ball sailing over goalkeeper Lin Yi-han’s hands into the net.
After halftime, Blue Whale picked up the pace, with midfielders Michelle Pao and Lee Hsiu-chin supporting the two forwards up front, but they could not break through Hualien’s back line.
In the 71st minute, Blue Whale goalkeeper Lin fumbled under pressure from Hualien striker Lin Hsiao-yun, which resulted in a goal-mouth scramble, and defender Chen Ya-hui slotted the ball into the goal, taking the score to 2-0.
Pao was active throughout the match, but Hualien’s defenders marked her closely.
In added time, Pao passed a long shot to striker Tsan Pi-han, who scored Blue Whale’s consolation goal, ending the game at 2-1.
“Our coaches encouraged us to take shots from outside, when getting into a good position,” Lin Kai-ling said after the game. “I got the ball and changed from my right to the left, and got past the defender, then I went for a shot from there... Before the game, I had thought about trying to score, and I am very happy I got the goal to help our team to clinch the title.”
Earlier on Saturday, Inter Taoyuan FC’s Ting Chi, a Taiwan national squad regular, scored on either side of halftime against Kaohsiung Sunny Bank.
Sunny Bank forward Wu Ching-kai scored her team’s only goal before halftime, while Taoyuan’s Chen Yen-ping took the final score to 3-1 in added time.
In Hang Yuan FC’s 2-1 win against Taipei Bravo, Fan Yu-hsuan and Chiang Chia-chen scored, while Taipei Bravo’s Su Hsin-yun scored in the second half, but it was not enough.
MEN’S SOCCER
In the Taiwan Football Premier League yesterday, the top three teams — Taichung Futuro, Taipower FC and Taiwan Steel — all won their matches, taking them to a three-way tie atop the table at 33 points each.
Taichung Futuro routed National Taiwan University of Sport 4-0, while Taipower edged Tatung FC 1-0.
Taiwan Steel routed Ming Chuan University 4-1, and Hang Yuan FC drew 2-2 against Red Lions FC.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was