The Taiwan Premier Football League’s (TPFL) top two teams, Kaohsiung-based Taipower and Taipei-based Tatung, cruised to easy wins this weekend with only two points separating them at the top of the table, with the title race likely going down to the final round in October for this inaugural season.
Taipower on Saturday collected three points when they thrashed Fu Jen Catholic University-Hang Yuan team 8-1 at Tainan’s Yonghua Soccer Ground. They have 42 points to hold down first place.
Attacking midfielder Huang Han-sheng scored a hat-trick, with one before the break and then netting two late goals in the second half to earn man-of-the-match honor.
Photo courtesy of CTFA
Striker Chiu Yi-huan added a brace against a porous defense for his team to go in front 4-0 at intermission. Fu Jen scored in the 52nd minute, but Taipower’s offense was too strong and they piled on four more goals for an 8-1 outcome.
Visitors Tatung on Saturday completed a comprehensive 4-0 victory over hosts Tainan City.
Tatung striker Marc Fenelus scored all his team’s four goals in an impressive performance against Tainan City.
Photo courtesy of CTFA
Fenelus struck in the 10th, 23rd, and 41st minutes to complete his hat-trick in the first half.
The Turks and Caicos Islands national, who has represented his country since the 2014 Caribbean Cup tourney, netted the ball again in the 64th minute, scoring all the goals in the match.
The win gave Tatung 40 points, narrowing the league gap to two points.
Taipower and Tatung are the traditional powerhouse teams in Taiwan top division soccer, and are likely to take first and second place in the TPFL, which gained entry to the East Asia zone qualifiers for next year’s Asian Football Confederation Cup competition.
In other results from Saturday, NSTC and Royal Blues battled to a 2-2 draw, while NTUPES defeated Ming Chuan University 3-1.
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