A major upset combined with a seven-goal thriller win means the Taiwan Premier League has a new team at the top of the standings. Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, a couple of vital goals mean that teams are now beginning to close in on mid table safety and away from the relegation play-in spot.
Taichung Futuro: 1 – AC Taipei: 2
Third place AC Taipei edged out their hosts after a couple of well-taken goals. A delightful back heel from Tsuyoshi Kusuyama was then smashed into the bottom corner by Huang Wei Chieh to open the scoring. The striker then doubled his tally for the day with sixty-three minutes played when he poked home a shot after the ball was played across the six yard box.
Li Mao got a consolation goal for Futuro in the sixth minute of injury time but it was too little, too late and AC Taipei were able to go back to the capital with the win.
A remarkable game started when Jhon Benchy scored from close-range after Liu Ho-Han‘s throw-in went uncleared by the Taipower defense. But with twenty-one minutes played, Lin Chen finished cooly from about fifteen yards out to get his team level.
Benchy then scored again with a fantastic shot from just outside the area after another defensive miscue from a Taipower defender. Lee Chun-Chia then tied things up again with a close range header from Lin’s freekick. Taipower then took the lead for the first time when Lin yet again made a critical intervention by acrobatically volleying a through-ball into the path of Yang Chen Ying, who fired home from close range. A rollercoaster first half ended with Benchy’s cross drifting into the corner of the net after the Taipower backline and keeper each assumed the other would deal with the pass.
The next goal would also decide the game and a hopeful long ball into the box was eventually punched home by Kim Young-geun to give Tainan City all three points.
Hang Yuan: 0 – Taichung Rock: 2
A smash and grab performance by Taichung resulted in a huge upset whilst Hang Yuan surrendered top spot in the Taiwan Premier League as a result.
An own goal by Huang Chun-Lin after just five minutes was the start of a frustrating day for Hang Yuan, who had several good opportunities but couldn’t convert any of them. A jinking run by Li Hung-Chun helped the midfielder get into the box before a near post finish helped give his side an unlikely win.
Taitung started quickly and never looked back against an outclassed Ming Chuan side. Yu Chia-Huang opened the scoring with a rifled finish before Matías Godoy equalized from the penalty spot after being fouled.
But after that, Taitung moved into another gear. Just before halftime, Chao Wei-Chieh broke loose down the right before his near post cross was bundled in by Chen Shi Sian. With the final kick of the first half, Yu get his second goal of the game by converting another close range cross.
Veteran forward Chen Po Hao also got on the scoresheet with a tap-in to make it 4-1 but a fiesty second half that saw multiple scuffles between the two sides will reviewed by the CTFA and suspensions may well be issued.
Photo Credit: Taichung Futuro
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