Taiwan completed their AFC Challenge Cup Group B campaign goalless and pointless on Friday after a 2-0 reverse to Pakistan at the Petaling Jaya Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
Taiwan dominated the game for the the first 20 minutes and young striker Wu Chun-ching had two chances to beat Pakistan goalkeeper Gul Amir, but he couldn’t find the back of the net.
COUNTERATTACK
Against the run of play, Pakistan counterattacked in the 26th minute, with Mullah Kallee playing an excellent pass to Arif Mehmood, who showed good skill to beat the Taiwan defense, before shooting into the bottom left corner.
In the 33rd minute, Chang Han’s powerful shot brought a great save from Amir and Pakistan reached halftime with their slender lead intact.
Seven minutes after the break, Chang was replaced by substitute Chen Hao-wei, who was booked five minutes later for dangerous play.
HEADER
On 67 minutes, Pakistan doubled their lead.
A perfect cross fell to Bashir Qureshi Atif, who headed past a helpless Chung Kuang-tien in the Taiwan goal.
In the final minutes, Taiwan worked hard for their first goal of the tournament and young strikers Wu and Chen both had opportunities, but goalkeeper Amir denied Taiwan the consolation they craved.
EVERY DAY A VICTORY: Players on the women’s team faced pressure from society just getting out onto the field as they prepare for their first Women’s Asian Cup game today Bangladesh’s national soccer team face daunting odds at their first-ever Women’s Asian Cup, but have already scored a major victory by qualifying. In the South Asian nation of 170 million, social stigma, family expectations, poverty and religious hardliners have long relegated women and girls to sports sidelines. The first women’s soccer league matches took place in 2011 and the squad, known to fans as the Red and Green, have kept pressing forward despite deeply embedded prejudices. “Many more girls would have joined us if the community had been even slightly supportive,” captain Afeida Khandaker told AFP ahead of her side’s March 3
Soccer officials yesterday offered “full support and assistance” to the Iranian team in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after the US and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland. Iran’s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic republic. They are due to open their tournament today against South Korea. The AFC in a statement said it “continues to closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period.” “The AFC’s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and
ROAD RASH: Marc Marquez retired after a crash, marking the first time after 88 consecutive races stretching back to 2021 that a Ducati bike failed to make the podium Marco Bezzecchi yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening grand prix in Thailand from pole position as defending world champion Marc Marquez retired late with a buckled wheel. Aprilia’s Bezzecchi led from start to finish to top the podium in Buriram, with KTM’s Pedro Acosta second and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez third. Ducati’s Marquez is chasing a record-equaling eighth world title this season, but he exited the race in dramatic fashion while in fourth place with five laps to go. The Spaniard, who started from second on the grid, took a corner wide, with the jolt to his bike dislodging the rear tire, badly damaging his
Liverpool on Tuesday suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the English Premier League’s bottom club. Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux. Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level with his first goal in 11 top-flight games dating back to November last year. However, Andre’s first goal for Wolves inflicted the latest humbling loss in a chastening season for Liverpool. It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017. Liverpool
RSS