Hang Yuan on Sunday claimed top spot in the Taiwan Football Premier League after edging hosts Taiwan Steel 1-0 in Tainan, while previous leaders Taipower stumbled to a 2-1 defeat by National Taiwan University of Sport (NTUS).
In a closely contested match in Tainan, it was veteran marksman Chen Ching-hsuan who scored the only goal as Hang Yuan picked up three points to remain undefeated this season.
Hang Yuan forward Liu Chih-wen latched on to a through-ball and fired a shot on goal that was parried by Taiwan Steel goalkeeper Pan Wen-chieh, but Chen pounced on the rebound and slotted home from close range as his side leapfrogged Taipower at the top of the standings.
Photo courtesy of the CTFA
In a physical game that featured strong challenges leading to several confrontations, the referee issued six yellow cards, three to each side.
In Taichung, NTUS produced the biggest upset of the season so far when striker Kao Wei-chieh scored a goal either side of halftime to take a 2-0 lead over the visiting league leaders.
Midfielder Lin Chang-lun replied for Taipower in the 65th minute, but they could not find an equalizer as they suffered their first defeat of the season.
In Taoyuan, South Korean striker Joo Ik-seong scored a hat-trick for Taichung Futuro as his side thrashed the Red Lions 4-0, a result that left the losers rooted to the bottom of the table without a point so far this season.
Tatung’s in-form striker Chen Jui-chieh scored a brace for the second straight match as his side triumphed 4-1 over Ming Chuan University.
Turkey-born forward Onur Dogan grabbed his first goal this season and Ivorian striker Ange Samuel also scored in the second half, his league-leading ninth goal of the season.
Ming Chuan midfielder Lan Hao-yu scored a late consolation goal to round out the scoring.
Hang Yuan moved up to top spot with 14 points, but there are only three points separating the top four.
Taipower fell to second place on 13 points, with Taichung Futuro in third place on 12 and Tatung in fourth on 11.
Taiwan Steel are in fifth place with nine points, while Ming Chuan are in sixth with four points, ahead of NTUS on goal-difference.
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