Taiwan last night lost 4-2 to hosts Hong Kong in the second round of qualifiers for next year’s EAFF East Asian Championship, as a shaky defense and poor coverage cost Taiwan the game, with the second consecutive loss leaving them no chance of advancing to the finals.
Nigeria-born Alex Tayo Akande proved too much for Taiwan to handle, scoring four times to account for all of Hong Kong’s goals.
He put a low shot through to open the account in the 21st minute, then scored on a screamer from the left side in the 48th minute.
Akande put the game away with two headers from inside the box in the 70th and 71st minutes.
Midfielders Chen Po-liang and Chen Hao-wei replied for Taiwan in the second half with one goal each.
In yesterday’s first game, North Korea beat Guam 2-0 to remain undefeated.
It was a scoreless game until the 67th minute, when midfielder So Hyon-uk fired his side ahead with a volley from the edge of the six-yard box.
With four minutes remaining in the match, striker Pak Kwang-ryong, who plays for Swiss top-division side Lausanne, blasted a free-kick for North Korea’s second goal.
In Sunday’s men’s group opening games, Hong Kong got off to a winning start by defeating Guam 3-2, while North Korea shut out Taiwan 2-0.
A brace by Akande and a goal by Brazil-born Alessandro Ferreira, both naturalized citizens of Hong Kong, secured victory for the hosts, while Jason Cunliffe and Shane Malcolm replied for Guam late in the match.
The decisive men’s games are to take place tomorrow, when Taiwan face Guam and North Korea will look to extend their win streak to three in a match against Hong Kong, with the best finishers earning berths in next year’s championship.
China, South Korea and hosts Japan have already qualified for the championship, which is scheduled for December next year.
In the women’s qualification round on Tuesday, midfielder Lin Ya-han scored two early goals to help send Taiwan’s national team on their way to a 5-0 triumph over Hong Kong.
Forwards Pao Hsin-hsuan, Lee Hsiu-chin and Chen Yen-ping added to the tally in an impressive display by the women’s squad.
In Tuesday’s other women’s soccer contest, South Korea showed the wide gulf in class between them and Guam with a 13-0 blowout.
South Korea midfielder Jung Seoul-bin scored four goals, while fellow midfielders Moon Mi-ra and Lee Min-a each scored twice in the rout of Guam.
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