Michelle Pao yesterday scored a brace as the Taiwanese women’s national team triumphed 4-1 over Iran and seized first place in Group C of the second round of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Before yesterday’s final group match at Grand Hamad Stadium in Doha, both sides had vowed to go all-out for the win, as only the top team in each group advances to the next round of qualifying for next year’s Tokyo Games.
It was Taiwan who made the most of their opportunities to score three goals in the first half.
Attacking midfielder Pao took a pass on the left and lashed home to put Taiwan ahead in the 12th minute.
Three minutes later, she sent a short pass inside the box to striker Chen Yen-ping, who slotted past Iran goalkeeper Zahra Khajavi to double the lead.
Winger Zhuo Li-ping was chasing a through pass in the 35th minute when she collied with Khajavi, who had come out to intercept the ball.
Zhuo went down in a heap and the referee awarded Taiwan a penalty, which was met with vehement protests by Iran.
Midfielder Tseng Shu-o converted the spot-kick, firing into the top-left corner to extend Taiwan’s lead.
After the intermission, Pao capitalized on a mistake by Iran to gain possession, then beat two defenders and drove a low shot past Khajavi into the lower-left corner for her brace, lifting Taiwan to a 4-0 lead.
Iran captain Zahra Ghanbari replied in the 62nd minute, but Taiwan’s defense shut down any further attempts to secure the 4-1 victory.
“We have seen the team improve through this qualifier tournament and they have gained much valuable experience,” Taiwan head coach Kazuo Echigo said after the match. “They put on great efforts for this win.”
“We also want to especially thank Tseng Shu-o, Michelle Pao and several other key players who had to take leave from their jobs or get permission from their clubs. We are very thankful for the sacrifice of their time to play for the national team,” the Japanese said.
Taiwan advanced as leaders of Group C, along with Group A winners Myanmar and Group B leaders Vietnam.
In the third round early next year, they are to face the top seeds of Asian women’s soccer, with teams divided into two groups for round-robin competition.
Potential opponents include regional rivals China, North Korea and South Korea.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
RSS