The Taiwanese womens team rotated a number of players in the second game of their tour of Indonesia but the end result was ultimately the same. The Mulan would have wanted more goals but given the rainy conditions and the dark arts of the Nepalese team, the final score was still something to be proud of.

As was the case in the previous game, Taiwan dominated possession and for most of the first-half laid siege to the Nepalese penalty box. Among the better chances was Lin Ya-hsuan’s curling effort that smashed off the crossbar and Teng Pei-lin’s header being cleared off the line from a corner.

But for all their endeavors, Taiwan left the field at half-time without scoring, which motived Prasobchoke Chokemor to make a number of changes. Chen Yu-chin, Hsu Yi-yun, Saki Matsunaga and Su Yu-hsuan were all inserted into the line-up at the break as Taiwan aggressively chased the game’s opening goal.

The impact of all these changes was immediate. Within seven minutes of the restart, Taiwan was ahead after Hsu’s corner kick was powerfully headed home by Huang Ke-sin. The defender couldn’t have connected with the ball any harder and she appeared to be rubbing her temples in the aftermath of the goal. Regardless, the Mulan finally had the breakthrough they deserved.

Having got the first goal, Taiwan should have scored again but Nepal’s keeper made a good save with her legs to deny Chen Jin-wen whilst Huang nearly scored her second goal of the game but her header missed the goal by inches.

Meanwhile, Nepal’s outfield players were becoming frustrated. Having chased the ball the entire game, tempers finally began to boil over and Rekha Poudel was extremely lucky to have only gotten a yellow card for lashing out at Chang Chi-lan. Soon after, Chang was then cynically wiped out by Man Maya Damai, who somehow managed to avoid getting booked herself.

As the game drifted into injury time, it was clear that the referee was losing control. After Chang blocked Damai’s shot on the edge of the box, the Nepalese forward once again struck Chang in the back of her head, sending the fullback crashing to the ground. Incredibly, Poudel was allowed to stay in the game by the referee, who had a clear sight of the incident as both players fought for possession of the ball.

With Taiwanese players visibly exasperated at Poudel’s antics and down to ten players as Chang had been forced off the field due to injury protocol, the game’s final minutes could have descended into anarchy. But the Mulan held their nerve and repelled a couple of corners before the final whistle mercifully sounded.

The result was hard fought but Taiwan deserved the win. With the AFC Womens Finals looming on the horizon, the side will likely try to find at least one more tune-up game before the tournament starts in March.

But for now, the Mulan can come home with two solid wins on the road and the knowledge that their squad depth will give them a competitive chance for the upcoming Asian cup tournament.

Photo Credit: CTFA