West Bank: Thailand beat Chinese Taipei 1-0 on Friday to seal top spot in Group C and secure their ticket to next year’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Jordan.
Suchawadee Nidhamrong scored the all-important goal for the Thais who are now set to make their 16th appearance at the continental gathering after seeing off their East Asian rivals in a tense encounter at the West Bank’s Faisal Al Husseini Stadium.
Having opened their campaign with a 6-0 win over Palestine, Thailand began brightly and went ahead in the fourth minute courtesy of Suchawadee’s pinpoint free-kick,
The talented forward then went close to extending her side’s lead on 22 minutes, but on this occasion, she fizzed her shot narrowly over the Chinese Taipei bar.
Not be outdone, Chinese Taipei responded well, with both Chen Yen-ping and Yu Hsiu-chin both forcing Thailand goalkeeper Waraporn Boonsing into decent saves before half-time.
Knowing that a defeat would end their hopes of qualifying for Jordan 2018, Chinese Taipei continued to press forward after the break.
First, Chen went close yet again with a header, before Michelle Pao fired over when well placed before the hour mark.
It was not be for Chinese Taipei however, as Thailand duly hung on to maintain their advantage until the final whistle and seal a ticket to the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
Photo: Palestinian Football Association
Source: the-afc.com