Taiwan last night lost 4-2 to hosts Hong Kong in the second round of qualifiers for next year’s EAFF East Asian Championship, as a shaky defense and poor coverage cost Taiwan the game, with the second consecutive loss leaving them no chance of advancing to the finals.
Nigeria-born Alex Tayo Akande proved too much for Taiwan to handle, scoring four times to account for all of Hong Kong’s goals.
He put a low shot through to open the account in the 21st minute, then scored on a screamer from the left side in the 48th minute.
Akande put the game away with two headers from inside the box in the 70th and 71st minutes.
Midfielders Chen Po-liang and Chen Hao-wei replied for Taiwan in the second half with one goal each.
In yesterday’s first game, North Korea beat Guam 2-0 to remain undefeated.
It was a scoreless game until the 67th minute, when midfielder So Hyon-uk fired his side ahead with a volley from the edge of the six-yard box.
With four minutes remaining in the match, striker Pak Kwang-ryong, who plays for Swiss top-division side Lausanne, blasted a free-kick for North Korea’s second goal.
In Sunday’s men’s group opening games, Hong Kong got off to a winning start by defeating Guam 3-2, while North Korea shut out Taiwan 2-0.
A brace by Akande and a goal by Brazil-born Alessandro Ferreira, both naturalized citizens of Hong Kong, secured victory for the hosts, while Jason Cunliffe and Shane Malcolm replied for Guam late in the match.
The decisive men’s games are to take place tomorrow, when Taiwan face Guam and North Korea will look to extend their win streak to three in a match against Hong Kong, with the best finishers earning berths in next year’s championship.
China, South Korea and hosts Japan have already qualified for the championship, which is scheduled for December next year.
In the women’s qualification round on Tuesday, midfielder Lin Ya-han scored two early goals to help send Taiwan’s national team on their way to a 5-0 triumph over Hong Kong.
Forwards Pao Hsin-hsuan, Lee Hsiu-chin and Chen Yen-ping added to the tally in an impressive display by the women’s squad.
In Tuesday’s other women’s soccer contest, South Korea showed the wide gulf in class between them and Guam with a 13-0 blowout.
South Korea midfielder Jung Seoul-bin scored four goals, while fellow midfielders Moon Mi-ra and Lee Min-a each scored twice in the rout of Guam.
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS