Taiwan’s womens team took a major step towards qualifying out of their AFC Finals group after beating Vietnam. The Mulan were simply too much for their opposition, who had their moments but over the course of ninety minutes were visibly the weaker team on the field.

Having lost in valiant fashion to Japan only a few days earlier, Taiwan kept the same 4-2-3-1 formation but tweaked a number of things around the edges. Instead of setting up to defend deep, Taiwan clearly planned on controlling the middle of the field and being able to attack in numbers when they did have the ball.

Taiwan should have taken the lead in the ninth minute when they intercepted the ball at the halfway line and charged through a backpedaling Vietnam backline, only for Chen Jin-wen to fire over the bar from just inside the box.

But Taiwan would get their goal a few minutes later, beginning when Huang Ke-sin exchanged passes with Chen Yu-chin before surging to the byline. Her low cross eventually reached Saki Matsunaga, whose shot came off the bar but Su Yu-hsuan was waiting to head the rebound into an empty net.

Having built up momentum, Taiwan should have killed off the game before halftime. Another great cross from Huang Ke-sin found Lee Wan-chen on the edge of the penalty box. It took a great save from Trần Thị Kim Thanh to stop Lee’s powerful shot and push the ball away but Taiwan seemed destined for a second goal.

Despite being the higher ranked team in the FIFA standings, Vietnam looked overwhelmed and surprised at their opposition’s tactics. By camping out on the halfway line in large numbers, Taiwan had made it impossible for the smaller Vietnam players to pass their way through the middle of the field.

A frustrated Vietnam went long over and over again, with the end result inevitably being an overhit pass or an interception. In response, Taiwan’s back four simply got the ball and then found one of their two deep-lying central midfielders to lead their team on yet another counter-attack. Matsunaga seemed especially effective in that role and was speeding up or slowing down Taiwan’s attack depending on the players that were around her.

Vietnam had their moments in the second half but at no point did they look or feel dangerous. Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nhã had a solid chance to get a goal but her rushed header went high over the bar after Su Sin-yun had blocked an initial shot from a Vietnam player.

There was still drama and nerves but Taiwan never seemed to lose their focus and held on for a deserved win. A second successive victory in their final group game against India will now guarantee Taiwan a quarter-final spot against North Korea, who themselves have already booked their place in the knock-out rounds.