Taichung Futuro on Thursday scored deep into stoppage-time in their AFC Cup Group I match at the Kaohsiung National Stadium to prevail over Tainan City 2-1, the first time two Taiwanese clubs have faced each other in a major Asian competition.
The “Formosan internal feud” added to the regional rivalry between Tainan and Futuro, who were runners up to Tainan last season in the Taiwan Football Premier League.
PENALTY
Tainan took the lead on Thursday when the referee awarded a penalty at the 67-minute mark after a hard tackle by Futuro’s Japanese defender Shunya Suganuma. Tainan’s Brazilian forward Jean Moser made no mistake with the spot-kick.
Futuro equalized in the 73rd minute, with Hsu Heng-pin’s leaping header directing a high cross from left-field past Tainan goalkeeper Pan Wen-chieh.
Deep into stoppage-time, Futuro’s Haitian forward Benchy Estama knocked down a ball for midfielder Chen Hao to send in a short cross. Suganuma’s header redirected the ball into the top corner for the winner, leaving Pan no time to react.
Suganuma linked up with Futuro after years playing in Japan with Gamba Osaka and representing his nation in youth soccer.
“I believe in my ability and that I can still perform at a high level, so I very much appreciate Taichung Futuro giving me the chance to play,” he said.
FIRST GAME
The AFC Cup game was Suganuma’s first appearance for Futuro, as well as his first official match and goal in Taiwan.
“I want to dedicate this goal to Futuro and also to my family for their support,” he said.
He arrived in Taiwan in the summer and trained with Futuro.
Their win put Futuro atop the Group I standings with 9 points from three wins from three matches. They edged Macau-based Must CPK 1-0 away on Sept. 21 and on Oct. 5 beat Mongolian champions Ulan Bator 2-0 away.
They are well placed to advance to the knockout stages.
Tainan are at the bottom of the group with no points after two losses.
The two Taiwanese sides have stark differences. Tainan are sponsored by Taiwan Steel Group, which also sponsors professional baseball and basketball teams in the nation, while Futuro was founded by former Japanese professional player Yoshitaka Komori and other Japanese working in Taiwan. Komori forged deals at the grassroots level, and partnered with Taichung businesses and communities to fund the team and draw quality players from Japan.
In the starting 11 on Thursday, Futuro featured five Taiwanese players and six of Japanese origin: Suganuma and Komori, as well as goalkeeper Kenya Matsui, forward Shohei Yokoyama, and midfielders Keisuke Ogawa and Kaoru Takayama.
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