Taiwan yesterday made it two wins in two days by defeating East Timor 3-1 in the CTFA17 International Tournament at the Taipei Municipal Stadium.
In a match that turned increasingly bad-tempered and ended with both squads squaring up to each other following the final whistle, it was the hosts who took the lead in the 20th minute when Hung Tzu-kuei beat his marker on the left side of the penalty area.
Hung’s cross found Li Mao, the scorer of a brace in Taiwan’s victory over the Philippines on Sunday, but this time his shot was saved, the rebound falling to Wen Chih-hao, who converted the simplest of tap-ins.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
The visitors failed to produce a shot on target until the 58th minute when Su De-cai’s attempted back-pass was short and Rufino Gama intercepted, before chipping the ball over stranded goalkeeper Pan Wen-chieh.
However, it only took the hosts five minutes to reclaim the lead when Chen Ting-yang headed in Wen’s corner at the back post.
Skipper Chen Po-liang wrapped up the victory in the 77th minute, just a minute after he had failed to score when one-on-one with the East Timor goalkeeper.
The resultant corner found Will Donkin on the right side of the penalty area and his cross once again left Chen Po-liang one-on-one in front of goal, and this time he made no mistake with a sharp finish into the roof of the net.
The victory means Taiwan top the standings with six points and they would win the tournament by claiming at least a draw in their final match against Laos at the Taipei Municipal Stadium at 7pm today.
The earlier match at 4pm sees East Timor take on the Philippines.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Ferrari’s F1 fortunes might be flagging, but the Italian team start this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as favorites, targeting a third consecutive triumph in motorsport’s fabled endurance classic. Roger Federer is acting as celebrity starter with the tennis icon getting the 93rd edition of the jewel in four-wheeled endurance racing’s crown under way tomorrow. Twenty-four hours later, through daylight, darkness and dawn, the 21 elite hypercars are to battle it out over 300 laps (more than 4,000km) in front of a sold-out 320,000 crowd burning the midnight oil with copious quantities of coffee and beer. Ferrari made a triumphant return after
RSS