Chinese Taipei booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 after seeing off India 3-1 at the Western Sydney Stadium on Tuesday, as the group stage reached its conclusion.
The scoreline doesn’t tell the full story of the match, with India coming into the game on the back of a mathematical chance of still going through, knowing that they had to win by a two-goal margin to progress.
As such, the Blue Tigresses made a promising start, showing real attacking intent, but any lingering hopes they had were extinguished when Sanju Yadav’s underhit backpass resulted in Su Yu-hsuan tapping the ball into an empty net in the 12th minute.
India responded in emphatic style in the 39th minute through Manisha Kalyan’s magnificent long-range free-kick. Despite that, just like always, Lady Luck never seems to be on the side of India in major tournaments, and that was the case once again.
The ball struck Pyari Xaxa’s hand deep into first half stoppage time, resulting in a Chinese Taipei penalty. India goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu dived the right way, seeing Hsu Yi-yun’s spot kick hit the post, only for the ball to deflect off Panthoi’s back and creep over the line.
In the second half, Chinese Taipei’s balls over the top caused distress in the Indian backline and on one such occasion, captain Sweety Devi and Panthoi horribly collided as Chen Yu-chin tapped the ball into an unguarded net to make it 3-1. Both Indian players were hospitalised following lengthy medical protocols on the pitch.
With the odds stacked against them, Amelia Valverde’s side continued to attack and even hit the crossbar in the 90th minute, while a couple of Manisha’s free-kicks also gave Chinese Taipei substitute goalkeeper Cheng Ssu-yu plenty of problems, but ultimately they did enough to go through.
In the day’s corresponding Group C fixture, Japan breezed past Vietnam at the Perth Rectangular Stadium. Riko Ueki’s perfectly placed header from Yui Hasegawa’s cross opened the scoring in the 21st minute.
Second-half strikes from Maika Hamano, Aoba Fujino and Kiko Seike meant they won 4-0, finishing with 17 goals scored and none conceded. The Nadeshiko celebrated a landmark night for Mina Tanaka after the full-time whistle, as the forward became the latest centurion for the national team.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Manisha Kalyan, India’s bright spark: India might be going home, but only after delivering arguably the goal of the tournament. Manisha Kalyan once again displayed why she has the attributes to become a world-class player on Tuesday. With India a goal down, she clawed her team back into the contest with one of the best goals any Indian player has ever scored in AFC tournaments.
She lined up to take a free-kick from long range, and just like her idol, delivered a Cristiano Ronaldo-esque strike that hit the underside of the crossbar before going in. Sometimes, it is moments like this that matter more than the results, as the Blue Tigresses leave with their heads held high.
Sanfida Nongrum on Manisha Kalyan:
“We learn a lot from Manisha Di. Her touches, her flair and experience playing football all over the world are something that we admire. Her technique on the ball with that sweet left foot is exquisite. She is an inspiration for girls all over India.”
End of the Mai Duc Chung era: Vietnam’s 4-0 defeat at the hands of Japan meant they have been eliminated in the group stage due to an inferior goal difference to Uzbekistan and the Philippines, with the duo progressing at their expense.
It also signals the end of the most successful period for the Golden Star Women Warriors, with their long-serving head coach, Mai Duc Chung, set to depart. The veteran coach led his nation to six SEA Games gold medals, the ASEAN Women’s Championship title in 2019 and, most notably, their maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification in 2023.
Duc Chung has worked extensively to uplift the profile of women’s football in Vietnam and leaves the team after an unprecedented period of success, with the team now in need of fresh ideas after failing to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.
WHAT THEY SAID
Sanfida Nongrum – India: “We fought a lot in this match and didn’t give up until the end. Unfortunately, there has to be one winner and one loser in a game of football.”
On her debut AFC Women’s Asian Cup experience: “This was my debut tournament. I’ve never seen football like this before; it has been such a learning experience.”
WHAT COMES NEXT
Chinese Taipei will return to Perth to take on defending champions China in the quarter-finals, while Japan will make the journey to Sydney to face the Philippines.
China PR vs Chinese Taipei
Saturday, March 14 at 1:00pm
Perth Rectangular Stadium
Japan vs Philippines
Sunday, March 15 at 4:00pm
Stadium Australia, Sydney
