Taiwan vs. Malaysia 3 - 2 – Sunday 3 July
It was a fun game – fast moving and free flowing – good scoring chances on both sides. Team Taiwan got off to a bright start – nice ball movement, some good crosses, and generally controlled the play. About 10 minutes in, though, Malaysia got a free kick from about 30 or so meters out and, against the run of play banged home a cracker that the goalie was unable to stop. 0 - 1. (I watched the goalie in the warmups and thought at the time that he looked mighty uncertain – I hoped that he wouldn’t be the pick for the night, but in the end, he was.)
Taiwan fought back well – still controlling the majority of the play and still looking the more dangerous of the two. The play down the wings and the crosses and working of the ball back into the center finally paid off midway through the half when Malaysia had to put the ball out for a corner. On the resulting kick there was a scramble in front of the goal mouth with the ball being cleared off the line by a defender, then the goalie batting the ball off the line before the third try finally went in. 1 - 1.
Lightning struck twice when – again, against the run of play – Malaysia got a free kick from about 23 meters out. I looked at the goalie with a sinking feeling and, sure enough, my premonition proved correct, when the kicker bent the ball around the wall and just inside the right post, leaving the goalie flapping in the breeze. 1 - 2.
Refusing to give up, our boys kept on pressing – our wing play giving Malaysia fits. Just before the half ended, a give and go put one of our forwards free in the left side of the box, and the defender tripped him as he was getting set to move directly in front of goal. The ensuing penalty was made, and the half ended. 2 - 2.
The second half started with a new goalie for our side (thankfully), and the boys took up the pace from where they left off. Halfway through the second half we attacked in the box and got another penalty awarded – but this time it was a weak shot that the Malaysia goalie stopped quite easily. It looked like a 2 - 2 tie was in the offing – but in the end it was not so. Another attack put one of our boys clean through in the box – the goalie dived out to make the save, but taking down our player in the process. This time the taker ripped an unstoppable cannon shot into the upper right corner and the crowd went wild. 3 - 2.
Malaysia atttempted some desperation attacks to try to find their third goal, but the boys held firm and we all went home happy.
. But the goals weren’t his fault, except maybe the second one. His position is wrong in the second goal, he left a giant gap between his post and him, which the attacker took advantage of, but still it’s not a blatant error. He could have done more in the first goal, instead of being almost inside his goal. Third one nothing he could do.
