Taiwan v Australia report by AFC

Taiwan 0 - Australia 4


Australia finished their AFC U-19 Women's Championship on a high note with a 4-0 triumph over Chinese Taipei at Hankou Xinhua Road Stadium.

Three second-half goals saw the Young Matildas eventually run out comfortable winners but with Japan and China drawing 1-1 in the other Group B game, it meant Alen Stajcic's side's campaign came to a premature end.

There was plenty of early endeavour from both sides in the opening 10 minutes but little in the way of chances until Kyah Simon got in front of her marker but side-footed just past the wrong side of the near post, before the striker had the ball in the back of the net but it was ruled out for offside.

A surging run then ended with Teresa Polias slipping in Simon but keeper Fan Ya-wen did well to smother her shot.

Australia eventually took the lead after 21 minutes when Alesha Clifford climbed above a crowd of players to head home Elsie Kellond-Knight's corner.

Chinese Taipei looked to hit back immediately but Wu Shih-peng's effort from the edge of the box failed to trouble keeper Casey Dumont.

Simon guided Kellond-Knight's excellent low delivery just beyond the far post after 28 minutes as the Young Matildas threatened a second but were unable to find one as the half drew to a close.

Kellond-Knight fired over from the left edge of the box before Tameka Butt somehow missed from two yards with the goal at her mercy after Fan had parried Simon's shot into her path.

Fan then superbly denied Kerr as she bore down on goal after a quick free-kick had released the midfielder down the right.

Fan was in action again 10 minutes into the second period as she pushed Kellond-Knight's angled effort over the bar before Australia netted their second shortly after when Simon turned in Butt's corner.

Chinese Taipei then spurned an opportunity just after the hour mark when the ball broke to Lin Kai-ling in plenty of space inside the box but she failed to connect properly with her shot before Yang Ya-han beat Dumont to a cross but the keeper held her effort after the forward swivelled in the box.

Australia's third came in the 66th minute when the ball came back of a combination of Fan and the post and substitute Courtney Beutel squeezed it over the line as she followed up.

Yang ballooned a free-header over the bar shortly afterwards, Samantha Kerr poked an effort narrowly wide after beautifully controlling a cross and Beutel lashed over from 10 yards.

Fellow substitute Nicola Bolger then hammered in the fourth after 84 minutes when Fan's punch fell into her path and Dumont was tested late when she held Lin's strike following a Chinese Taipei break.


written by Asian Football Confederation