Defending champions Tainan TSG (Taiwan Steel Group) held Hang Yuan to a 1-1 draw on Sunday in the Taiwan Football Premier League season opener, while Hualien City and Taichung Blue Whale on Saturday opened the Taiwan Mulan Football League with a goalless tie.
Players and officials at all seven matches this weekend observed a moment’s silence for the 49 victims of the Taroko Express train crash in Hualien County on April 2.
At New Taipei City’s Fu Jen Catholic University, midfielder Benchy Estama of Haiti and the frontline duo of Chen Jui-chieh and Ange Samuel of the Ivory Coast had the most shots on goal for TSG in the first half, while Hang Yuan’s Judelin Aveska misfired a header from a corner.
Photo courtesy of CTFA
Action picked up after halftime, when Tainan TSG defender Chen Wei-chuan sent a long pass to Chen Jui-chieh, who split the defense to deliver the first goal of the match.
Hang Yuan midfielder Wu Yen-shu then sent a fierce shot to the upper corner from a free-kick, but goalkeeper Pan Wen-chieh parried the attempt.
Seven minutes from time, Hang Yuan goalkeeper Lai Po-lun denied a long drive from Estama.
At the end of stoppage-time, Hang Yuan’s Haitian defender Aveska launched a final assault from inside his own half, passing to forward Huang Yu-wei, who outmaneuvered his markers to advance inside and send a low cross for Aveska to send into the box.
Chen Wei-chuan attempted to intercept, but knocked the ball into the back of the net past teammate Pan, equalizing the game for the opposition.
“All credit goes to our players, who did not quit and fought right to the end,” Hang Yuan manager Hong Ching-huai said. “It is not easy to score a goal late in the match. I told them not to give up, concentrate on the game and move forward to push on the attack.”
Pan lamented the late score from a teammate.
“It was an own-goal by one of our defenders. There was nothing I could do,” Pan said. “They managed to get the equalizer in the dying seconds, but we should have won this game earlier.”
“It was not our day to have the victory and three points slip from us, but that’s how soccer goes,” Tainan TSG manager Lo Chih-tsung said.
“We have to learn from the mistakes, and do better,” he added.
Also on Sunday, Taipower started the season with a 2-0 victory over Land-Home NTUS (National Taiwan University of Sport), with Chen Chao-an scoring from close range and Lee Hsiang-wei surging into the box to chip the ball over goalkeeper into the back of the net.
Top-division newcomers CPC FC of Kaohsiung hosted Taichung Futuro, who pocketed a 1-0 victory when Turkey-born striker Onur Dogan, who transferred from Tatung FC in the off-season, sent a pass for Japanese midfielder Naoyuki Yamazaki to pounce on in his Taiwan debut, scoring in the 35th minute for the win.
Neither Tatung nor Flight Skywalkers could find the net in their goalless draw in Taoyuan.
On Saturday, Taiwan Mulan Football League champions Hualien City and Taichung Blue Whale also ended 0-0, while Kaohsiung Sunny Bank prevailed over Hang Yuan 2-1 and Taipei Bravo Bear defeated Inter Taoyuan 5-0.
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