Taiwan yesterday fought back in dramatic fashion by scoring two late goals, with the winner deep in stoppage-time, to beat Bahrain in their Asian Cup qualifier and set off a prolonged celebration at the Taipei Municipal Stadium.
Belgian-Taiwanese player Xavier Chen provided the inspiration to lift the team, helping new English manager Gary White to his first win in a competitive international.
Suffering a chronic injury, Chen had said before the match that he wanted the team to play well and get a good result because, win or lose, it was likely to be his last game for Taiwan as he plans to retire.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
It set the stage for an emotional evening in front of a crowd of more than 8,000, many of them wanting to bid farewell to Chen.
Both sides attacked early on, but it was the visitors who capitalized on a chance in the 17th minute.
Bahrain striker Madhi Abdul-Jabbar took the ball to the bye-line, before attempting to get past Hsieh Po-an, who put his hands up and brushed his opponent, who fell down inside the area.
Japanese referee Hiroyuki Kimura pointed to the spot, with the hosts vehemently protesting to no avail.
Bahrain captain Ismaeel Abdulatif duly fired into the net to put the visitors in front.
Taiwan continued to create chances in attack, while some outstanding saves by goalkeeper Pan Wen-chieh kept the visitors at bay until halftime.
In the second half, Taiwan’s three-pronged attack of Chen Hao-wei, Yu Chia-huang and Onur Dogan created some good opportunities, but remained frustrated.
As the clock wound down, the hosts desperately searched for an equalizer, but kept missing their chances.
Then in the 89th minute Xavier Chen got the ball and his pass into the penalty area found attacking midfielder Chen Po-liang, who slotted home the equalizer.
In stoppage-time midfielder Chen Yi-wen got past the defense on the left and crossed into the area for Dogan to head the winner, sending the fans into delirious National Day celebrations.
The rare come-from-behind win moved Taiwan into second place in Group E, a point behind Bahrain.
“The players were all warriors today, they were fantastic. We needed this great result to turn it around for Taiwanese football,” White said.
Chen Po-liang credited Xavier Chen for leading a robust defense and keeping the team in the match, as well for the pass that allowed him to score the equalizer, adding that the players and coaches all want him to reconsider his plan to retire.
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday. The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October. Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against
When Paddy Dwyer arrived in China in 1976, crowds jostled to catch a glimpse of him and his companions — the first Western soccer team to play in the country. China was emerging from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, and on the brink of market reforms that would take the country from economic stagnation to explosive growth. “All we could see was lines of people running beside our bus, trying to look in the windows, to see their first visual of a white person,” he said. “It was all bicycles,” he said. “There were very few cars to be seen.” Dwyer,
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
RSS