India’s campaign at the Women’s Asia Cup ended without a point, but Manisha Kalyan gave the fans a moment to savor before Taiwan sealed a 3-1 victory in Sydney on Tuesday to advance to the quarter-finals.
India had already been ruled out by a header but pushed for an early lead when Martina Thokchom’s header hit the post. Taiwan took the lead shortly after when Sanju Yadav’s clumsy pass to the keeper was intercepted by Chen Jin-wen, who crossed to Su Yu-hsuan to finish easily.
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A MANISHA MOMENT
Manisha Kalyan equalized for India in the 39th minute with a stunning free kick from distance. Her powerful left-footed strike rattled the crossbar before bouncing over the line, briefly raising hopes of an unlikely result.
These hopes did not last long. Fortunately, Taiwan took the lead again early in the half when Hsu Yi-yun’s penalty came off the post, hit the back of India goalkeeper Elangbam Panthoi Chan and rolled into the net. Wu Kai-ching then set up Chen Yu-chin with a defensive ball in the 77th minute and Taiwan’s place in the round of 16 was confirmed.
India ended their campaign with zero points and a goal difference of minus 14, their worst in the group stage. Their 11-0 defeat to Japan at the weekend already made qualification impossible.
SAILING THROUGH JAPAN
Elsewhere in Group C, Japan remained the standout side of the tournament as they cruised past Vietnam 4-0 to finish the group stage without conceding a single goal. Yui Hasegawa’s cross was headed in by Rio Ueki in the 21st minute
Vietnam goalkeeper Khong Thi Hang kept the score decent in the first half with a series of diving saves. Japan put the game to bed after the break with Maika Hamano, Aoba Fujino and Kiko Seike scoring within 16 minutes.
Vietnam finished with three points but finished bottom of the third-placed teams as Uzbekistan and the Philippines advanced to the quarter-finals on goal difference. Taiwan will face defending champions China on Saturday, while Japan will play the Philippines a day later.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
10 March 2026 17:15 IST
