Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bangkok: China PR secured the final East Zone slot to the 2018 AFC Futsal Championship, beating Chinese Taipei 3-2 in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw on Wednesday.
Chinese Taipei and China, the second best teams from Group A and B respectively, were evenly matched at the beginning.
Both sides showed that they were dangerous with their long range passes and kept either side on their toes.
Having experienced an 8-1 defeat to Japan in the previous match-up, Chinese Taipei were eager to show they were no pushovers.
And despite China playing more aggressively, it was Lin Chih-hung who opened the scoring for Chinese Taipei when his shot bounced off China goalkeeper Zhu Bei and into the goal.
A minute later, Chian Hsin Wei infringed the four-second rule after holding the ball for too long.
The indirect free-kick from the goal line missed, but it reminded them to play more cautiously and pay closer attention to the details.
It was a matter of time before China's constant pressure showed result, and in the 13th minute Zhao Liang levelled the score with a superb strike to the left side of the goal.
China had better offensive plays but when it came down to protecting their fort, Chinese Taipei's quick counter-attacks had them disorganised.
In the final minute of the first half, a quick reversal led Lin to surge down the middle and his through pass found Hung Wei-teng in the box, who made no mistake from close range to regain their lead.
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/chinese-taipei_v_china_1_afc-futsal-cq-east_fat_jpg.html
