PERTH, Australia — In a crucial Group C matchup at the Women’s Asian Cup, Taiwan secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Vietnam on Saturday, positioning themselves favorably for quarterfinal qualification with one group stage match remaining. The decisive moment arrived in the 26th minute when striker Su Yu-hsuan capitalized on a defensive opportunity. After Saki Matsunaga’s powerful strike rattled the crossbar, Su expertly headed the rebound into an unguarded net, securing what would become the match-winning goal.
The victory marked a significant rebound for Taiwan, which suffered a 2-0 defeat against tournament favorites Japan earlier in the week. Throughout the match, Taiwan demonstrated offensive superiority, creating multiple scoring opportunities that could have extended their margin of victory. Vietnam, despite entering the contest with momentum from their opening victory against India, struggled offensively and failed to register a single shot on target throughout the ninety minutes. Their closest opportunity came from Thi Duyen Tran, whose first-half attempt sailed wide from inside the penalty area.
The result leaves both teams level on three points from two matches, though Taiwan claims second place in the group standings on superior goal difference. Japan currently leads Group C and was scheduled to face India later Saturday. The tournament continues to break attendance records, with organizers announcing 250,000 tickets sold. The opening matches attracted 92,795 spectators—shattering the previous record of 59,910 set during the 2010 edition in China.
In other tournament developments, Australia and South Korea have already advanced from Group A following the Matildas’ 4-0 victory over Iran. The two teams will meet Sunday to determine group supremacy. Defending champions China and three-time winners North Korea have both secured quarterfinal berths from Group B with consecutive victories, setting up a Monday showdown to decide the group winner.