What a difference a single result can make. 

The seven-game losing streak is over. Instead, an assertive win over Singapore has shown what Taiwan’s mens team can do when they are playing at their best. 

There will be cause for concern about the game’s panicked ending but for now, the pluses outweigh the minuses. Taiwan were deserved winners and looked as such from whistle to whistle. Three goals plus an efficient playing style suggest that the team is ready to turn the corner.

Pregame, it was clear on the faces of Taiwan’s players that this was a critical fixture. Something needed to change before morale completely imploded.

Although the opening exchanges were tense, Taiwan seemed more confident and organized. Whilst the hosts wanted to score from set-pieces, Taiwan sought to dictate things in open play.

Defensively, the Blue Wings also had a clear identity. Set up in a 3-4-2-1, Taiwan defended in numbers, often forcing the ball wide to where Singapore were less effective. When the ball was played backwards, Taiwan pressed aggressively. The plan was to make sure Singapore couldn’t settle and it was working.

The first Taiwan goal felt inevitable but it ultimately came from an unlikely source. After a spell of confident possession on the right-hand side, a deflected cross found its way to Chris Tiao. With the Singapore backline caught flat footed, the wing-back didn’t think twice before volleying the ball past Izwan Mahbud. The goal was lovely but it was made possible by Tiao’s excellent, albeit opportunistic off-the-ball run. Little details had created big results.

Having struck first, Taiwan smelt blood and kept coming. Minutes after the first goal, Wang Chien-ming watched his powerful shot bounce back off the post. Ange Kouamé then hit the other post with a close-range effort. Singapore, meanwhile, were lucky to get in at half-time only down by a single goal.

When the two sides returned after the break, Taiwan continued to chase more goals. Meanwhile, Singapore understood they couldn’t rely on free kicks alone. Instead, they kept men further up the field to create chance of their own. The end result was that both defenses were becoming over-stretched as possession hurried switched from one end to the other.

Amid the frenzied pace, Taiwan doubled their lead in the sixty-fifth minute. This time, it was Miguel Sandburg making a deft off-the-ball run to get himself open. Standing in the middle of the field, Chao Hao-wei had sensed the Singapore back line was out-of-shape. He just needed a willing runner and found it with Sandburg. Chao’s weighted pass guided Sandburg into the box before the latter finished crisply under Mahbud.

Suddenly, and quite implausibly given their recent form, Taiwan had a two-goal lead over another team. Moreover, they were playing with confidence. The team Taiwan wanted to be at training was finally coming out to play.

Yet, there was still time for old problems to reappear. With ten minutes left to play, Taiwan conceded a momentum halting goal from a poorly cleared cross. Irfan Najeeb couldn’t believe his luck when the ball fell to him. A striker of his level didn’t need a second invitation and his close range shot gave Singapore their first goal.

With both teams swinging for the fences, Taiwan then added a third goal. Having already assisted one goal, Chen now dribbled wide to the right byline. Once there, his measured cross hung in the air perfectly for Kouamé to firmly head home. Taiwan had restored their two-goal lead and in the process, rewarded the tireless Kouamé for his effort throughout the game.

There was still time for another Singapore goal. This time, it was Shawal Anuar’s turn to score from close range after Martin Baudelet got caught in no-mans land.

For a moment, it felt like the worst case scenario was about to happen and Singapore would grab an equalizer. But with the Taiwanese playing eleven men behind the ball at times, there would be no further action.

The losing streak was over and players and coaches were smiling with relief as much as joy. Everyone can return to Taipei with the monkey off their backs now. Meanwhile, the chance at more wins in the upcoming EAFF tournament beckons.

Photo Credit: CTFA