Chinese Taipei are on track for back-to-back quarter-final appearances after edging past Vietnam with a 2-0 victory in scorching heat in Perth.
Prasobchoke Chokemor’s seemed to quickly shake off their opening 2-0 defeat to Japan, starting strong in the attack early on.
The consistent threat to Tran Thi Kim Thanh’s goal finally paid off in the 28th minute after Saki Matsunaga’s chip deflected off the crossbar towards Su Yu-Hsuan for a header into the open goal. An instant pushback was needed from Vietnam, but Chinese Taipei doubled down, keeping the pressure on for the remainder of the first half.
The second half saw veteran coach Mai Duc Chung switch up tactics to change pressure, and while it led to more constructive Vietnamese attacks, it wasn’t convincing enough to break Chinese Taipei defence, who moved to park the bus and hold on to the lead.
The second period was an overall scrappy affair between the two sides, with multiple collisions, injuries and poor shooting, apart from a well executed set piece header from Chinese Taipei that was saved by Thanh. Vietnam fired a flurry of shots in the dying minutes, but with none hitting the target, Chinese Taipei took the three points at the final whistle, leaving Group C quite open.
In the late game at Perth Rectangular Stadium, Japan dominated from kick off, opening the scoring in just the 4th minute after Yuzuki Yamamoto slithered in from the right edge of the box, humiliating Pyari Xaxa with a nutmeg and striking it clean from the corner of the box to find the top left corner of the goal for an early lead.
Less than ten minutes later, Yamamoto came in again from the right unmarked, and this time squared it to her captain and Manchester City starlet Yui Hasegawa, who rolled it in to double the lead.
With the deficit already two, India were desperate to see it not get any worse, with players beginning to lose composure on the pitch. Centre half, Sanju Yadav made a reckless handball attempt to stop Manchester United’s Hinata Miyazawa’s shot in the 20th minute, but much like the defending, even that was half-hearted and India were down by three.
Mina Tanaka provided a perfect through ball 15 minutes later to Miyazawa to complete her brace, and to make matters worse, right before half-time, a shove from Indian skipper Ngangbam Sweety Devi led to penalty which was easily converted by Kiko Seike to make it 5-0 after 45 minutes.
The second half didn’t see matters get any better for India. Riko Ueki made it six 90 seconds in from a Maya Hijikata cross, both making an impact instantly off the bench. Goal number seven came three minutes later, as Ueki placed the ball from outside the box into the bottom left corner, smoothly finding her way past the sea of bodies.
Five minutes after that, Seike became the third player to complete a brace for Japan, after another mishap in the Indian defence. Japan headed in their next two goals to take the scoreline to double figures, courtesy of Hijikata and then Ueki, who completed her hat-trick in 19 minutes. Miyazawa joined the hat-trick club as well, breaking the Indian line in the 81st to make it a whopping 11-0 to the number one ranked Asian side.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Not the same Vietnam from 2022: After the close call against India, and this defeat, it’s safe to say Vietnam are underperforming in this edition of the Women’s Asian Cup. While the intent and plays are clear from Chung’s decade-long system, there is a clear lack of conviction in terms of finishing, and a general laid back mindset in their back line. Keeper Thanh has been the defining factor that has kept Vietnam alive in this tournament, but with a mammoth challenge against Japan up next, the ‘Diamond Girls’ will have to lock in to stay alive at this Asian Cup
Japan’s terrifying depth: Nils Nielsen fielded only two players from the opening 2-0 win against Chinese Taipei in the starting XI against India, showcasing the quality of players that are warming the bench for them. With the performance produced today, the Danish coach got the opportunity to give all his players minutes and test multiple tactics, all of which he will have at his disposal as the two time Asian Cup champions progress further in the competition.
WHAT THEY SAID
Nils Nielsen – Japan coach: “I think we were able to play today’s match efficiently and without wasted effort. We tried to do the same things we did in the first game but today, I feel we were able to execute them more quickly. Scoring early in the match, in particular, allowed the players to settle and play with more composure afterwards.
“I wanted to make sure we maintained the structure we wanted, which is why we needed them (Mina Tanaka and Yui Hasegawa) to start again. We could have changed the entire line-up, because our squad has the depth to do that, but to preserve the structure, they had to play the first half.”
Prasobchoke Chokemor – Chinese Taipei coach: “It was a really tough game and there is no doubt Vietnam are a quality side as they featured in the previous edition of the FIFA World Cup.
“But our team did well today. The weather did not bother us as we were more concerned about our performance. We earned our first three points in this tournament and I want to thank the players, they fully deserve this win. I also want to share my joy with the people of Chinese Taipei and celebrate this victory together.”
WHAT COMES NEXT
Having already secured progression, Japan are aiming to keep their perfect record alive against Vietnam, while Chinese Taipei will hope to secure their place in the knockout rounds against India.
Japan vs. Vietnam
Tuesday, 10 March at 5:00pm
Perth Rectangular Stadium
India vs. Chinese Taipei
Tuesday, 10 March at 5:00pm
Western Sydney Stadium
