Taiwan on Tuesday beat East Timor 3-0 in Kaohsiung to advance to the next round of qualifying in the Asian Football Confederation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Taiwan scored all of their goals in a six-minute blitz in the first half to defeat East Timor, who also lost to Taiwan 4-0 in the first leg of the first round on Thursday last week.
East Timor played both of their matches in the series at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung due to infrastructure problems at the National Stadium in Dili.
Photo courtesy of the Chinese Taipei Football Association via CNA
On Tuesday, Taiwan sported their white away uniforms, after the Blue Wings wore their home blue jerseys last week.
Forward Yu Chia-huang opened the scoring in the 18th minute, shooting past goalkeeper Filonito Nogueira, who let the ball squeeze under him and roll into the net.
Yu was assisted by Taiwan Steel teammate Ange Samuel Kouame. The naturalized player from the Ivory Coast made his debut on the national team last month in international friendlies against the Philippines and Singapore.
Three minutes after Yu’s goal, the Blue Wings doubled the lead when Kouame dashed past East Timor’s defense to fire a shot from the right. Nogueira saved the attempt, but striker Wu Yen-shu picked up the rebound to score.
Taiwan grabbed the final goal of the match in the 24th minute, when winger Fong Shao-chi sent a high cross from the left flank, which Kouame sent into the net with header.
That virtually assured Taiwan a victory as they already had a four-goal lead from last week’s match.
Along with Kouame’s creativity, goalkeeper Pan Wen-chieh also shined, making a string of outstanding saves to preserve the two-leg shutout.
East Timor mounted repeated attacks, trying to get on the board. Pan palmed off a quick shot from striker Joao Pedro inside the box in the 25th minute, and soon after made a flying save on a long-range drive, also from Pedro.
Before halftime, Pan made another big save on a free-kick that was heading into the top corner, which he tipped over the upright. He was kept busy until time, as Taiwan’s defense helped to hold off East Timor.
“We are thankful for the support from fans, media and team staff to get this win and move ahead to the next round,” captain Wu Chun-ching told reporters after the game. “We carry the responsibility to get good results in the second round, so we cannot relax and must focus.”
“Hopefully we can do well, and make good memories for fans in the upcoming games,” he added.
Taiwan advanced on a seven-goal margin to the second round, where they are to face Asia’s top to mid-ranked soccer teams. Taiwan are in Group D with Oman, Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia.
They play Oman away on Nov. 16, before hosting a home match against Malaysia on Nov. 21, which officials said would be Taipei. On March 24 next year, they are to play Kyrgyzstan, a match that is tentatively scheduled for Kaohsiung.
In Tuesday’s other games, Pakistan won its first qualifying game, beating Cambodia 1-0 in Islamabad to advance to the second round, after they finished the first leg in Phnom Penh 0-0.
It was also the first win for Pakistan, ranked 197th, since 2018. It joins Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Jordan in Group G.
Singapore beat Guam 3-1 on aggregate after winning 1-0 on Tuesday, and Afghanistan beat Mongolia 1-0 to advance 2-0 overall.
Yemen was held 1-1 at Sri Lanka, Asia’s lowest-ranked team at No. 202, but had done enough in its home leg to advance 4-1 on aggregate.
Myanmar is to open the next stage against Japan, who beat Tunisia 2-0 in a friendly at Kobe, a sixth successive victory.
Additional reporting by AP
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
Mathys Tel was hero and villain as Tottenham drew 1-1 at home to Leeds United on Monday — a result that leaves their English Premier League future hanging in the balance. The Frenchman broke the deadlock early in the second half to ease the tension at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but then gave away a penalty with a reckless attempted clearance. In the dying minutes, Spurs were grateful to Antonin Kinsky, who produced an astonishing save to deny the visitors a win. Tottenham are now two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United with just two games left this season. The
‘DONE IT ALL’: LeBron James is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season as a free agent with uncertainty swirling around his future LeBron James on Monday said he would take time to consider his future after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the NBA playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder in what could turn out to be the final game of his career. James, 41, delivered a typically defiant performance with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to prevent the Lakers from falling 115-110 as the Thunder completed a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference semi-finals series. The four-time NBA champion is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season
FRUSTRATION: Gauff smacked herself on the head with her racket before storming down the tunnel, emerging afterward to have a heated discussion with her coach Elina Svitolina on Saturday won the Italian Open after beating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 to claim her third Rome title, while Jannik Sinner set a date with Casper Ruud in the men’s final. Ukraine’s Svitolina had not claimed a WTA 1000 title since her last victory at the Foro Italico eight years ago, but prevailed over the ever-erratic Gauff to claim her 20th tournament triumph. Saturday’s win over Gauff was her third in a row against a player in the top four of the world rankings — including Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina — ahead of the French
RSS