Defending champions China scored twice in extra time to book a successful semi-final against hosts Australia at the Women’s Asian Cup on Saturday, with dominant South Korea joining them in the last four.
Worker Shao Ziqin fired brilliantly into the right corner in the 94th minute against Perth and China sealed a tense 2-0 win over Taiwan courtesy of Chen Ying-hui’s own goal.
It kept their bid for a record 10th title on track, with the win also banking direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
South Korea – runners-up to China in 2022 – also ensured they will be at the World Cup with a 6-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan in Sydney.
They will face either Japan or the Philippines in the semifinals on Wednesday.
China will meet the Matildas on Tuesday but will be without star midfielder Wang Shuang, who picked up a yellow card for the second game in a row.
“Of course, she is a loss. There will be an opportunity for someone else,” China coach Ante Milicic said.
“These girls are so resilient. I will support my girls against any opponent.”
The quarter-final had political overtones given China’s claim to the self-governing island of Taiwan, which competes under the name “Chinese Taipei” in international sporting events.
It is part of a compromise with China that allows them to participate in major competitions without posing as a sovereign nation.
The crowd of 5,238 was split between fan bases, although the Taiwanese contingent were more vocal.
There were some flag-waving Chinese fans wearing shirts with “China is my faith” written on the back.
Like China, Taiwan has enjoyed strong support at the tournament, but controversy erupted in the stands during their final match in Sydney.
Former Taiwan coach Chen Kuei-jen was kicked out of the stadium for leading a chant of “Taiwan Jiayu”, or “Go Taiwan”.
It didn’t appear to repeat itself on Saturday.
“They put everything they had on the field and showed how strong their hearts are,” current Taiwan coach Prasobchoke Chokemor said of his team.
“I told them you don’t need to be sad, you don’t need to cry.”
In Sydney, Son Hwa-yeon opened South Korea’s account in the ninth minute with Ko Yoo-jin netting a second before the break in a one-sided affair.
Park Soo-jeong, Ji So-yun, Lee Eun-young and Jang Sel-gi added second-half goals against an Uzbek side playing in the knockout stages of the continental competition for the first time.
Despite the loss, Taiwan and Uzbekistan still have a chance to enter the World Cup.
They go into the play-offs along with North Korea and the loser of the Japan-Philippines clash on Sunday.
The winners of these two matches will also earn automatic qualification to the world show.
