Review : Taiwan 2021 Mulan Premier League – Round 9

December 18, 2021

Taoyuan International 0-1 Kaohsiung Sunny Bank  

Hang Yuan 0-2 Taichung Blue Whale 

Hualien 2-0 Taipei Bravo

It was a case of as you were after round 9, with the situation at the top of the table remaining the same after both Hualien and Taichung Blue Whale won 2-0. Mathematically, Kaohsiung could still win the title but that would require some unexpected results on the final day.

Hualien took the lead against Taipei Bravo with Sin Yun Su’s ( No 17 ) header into the top corner in first half added on time, coming a couple of minutes after Bravo’s Hsing Hui Lin had been put clear but was denied by a good save from Hualien keeper Lin Hung. Pi Han Chen extended Hualien’s lead in the 63^rd minute after chest-controlling a punch out from Bravo keeper Yu Ting Wang and calmly shooting left footed into the corner of the net.

Two first half goals from outside the area from Maho Taneka put Taichung Blue Whale on the road to victory at Hang Yuan. In the 22^nd minute the Japanese midfielder ran onto to an early ball from half-way from Li-chin Lai ( No 11 ) and shot first time left footed on the bounce from 20 yards to catch Hang Yuan keeper Wen Chi Liao out of position, with the ball bouncing across goal and into the corner of the goal. Eight minutes later Taneka scored from a similar position after another counter-attack and a defence splitting ball from Chien Yun Liu ( No 23 ), and although Liao was better positioned, she was unable to prevent the shot going into the same bottom corner.

In the final match, Koahsiung overcame back-markers Inter Taoyuan with a solitary goal in the 65^th minute, Chi Ting ( No 17 ) getting enough on the ball to deflect Ya Han Yang’s ( No 21 ) low cross into the corner from just over 6 yards out. Kaohsiung dominated possession but Inter defended doggedly to restrict Kaohsiung to very few chances. Inter have now failed to score in all 9 matches, with Bangura missing their only chance, hurriedly slicing wide after a bit of a scramble in the goalmouth.

It now all comes down the final round of fixtures, currently scheduled for Christmas Day. Hualien host Hang Yuan, but Taichung host Inter, and so must be favourites to increase their goal difference advantage over Hualien, which is currently just one goal, and reclaim the title they last won in 2019. Koahsiung host Taipei Bravo, hoping the top two both lose and they get a bag full of goals.