'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Indian national team have been placed in Group A of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers alongside Chinese Taipei, Guam and hosts Myanmar. The 2014 AFC Challenge Cup is a very important competition for India as only by winning it can they qualify for the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia.
But Wim Koevermans’ side must qualify for the 2014 Challenge Cup first and for that they must either win the four-team group or finish among the top two best second-placed teams. Sportskeeda starts the buildup by analysing India’s first opponents Chinese Taipei.
History
Chinese Taipei are currently placed 171st in the FIFA Rankings and 34th in Asia. Their best-ever ranking came in August 2006 when they were in the 144th position. Like India, Chinese Taipei have never come close to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup but enjoyed success at continental level in the 1960s as they finished third in the 1960 Asian Cup and fourth in the 1968 edition. They also won the gold medal at the Asian Games in 1954 and 1958 as ‘Republic of China’.
However, they haven’t qualified for the Asian Cup after 1968 and have been placed among the emerging nations of the continent. Chinese Taipei are also one of the weakest teams of East Asia as they have never played in the final rounds of that competition. Their record in the AFC Challenge Cup is also poor as they have played in only edition, 2006, when there was no qualification stage but they did reach the quarter-finals in that tournament before losing to eventual runners-up Sri Lanka. They have failed to qualify for the last three editions of the Challenge Cup with a disappointing bottom place finish in their qualifying group, which also had India, in the 2012 qualifiers.
Current Team
Following the dismal showing in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in March 2011, Chinese Taipei performed much better in the 2014 World Cup qualifying tie against higher-ranked Malaysia and were unfortunate to lose the two-legged contest on away goals. A narrow 3-2 defeat against Singapore in a friendly in July 2011 was another decent result but since then Chinese Taipei have continued to struggle in the international stage with only two wins in their last 11 matches and the victories came against international minnows Guam and Macau.
Their most recent international assignment came in December 2012 when they competed in the qualifying stage of the East Asian Cup. Chinese Taipei conceded 17 goals in four matches including a 8-0 drubbing at the hands of continental giants Australia and the only point came thanks to a late equaliser against Guam. The majority of players in the current national setup play for the country’s most successful club Taiwan Power Company FC but Chinese Taipei also have a couple of foreign-born defenders who ply their trade abroad. Spanish-born youngster Victor Chou plays for Shanghai Shenhua while former Belgium Under-19 captain Xavier Chen is now with China’s Guizhou Renhe FC, who are playing in this season’s Asian Champions League.
Key Players
Yang Chao-hsun
The 25-year-old defender has been part of the Chinese Taipei senior national team since 2010 and is one of their most reliable players. Yang captained the team in the 2012 Philippines Peace Cup last year and converted a late penalty that saved Chinese Taipei’s blushes in the 2-2 draw with Macau.
Chen Po-liang
The 25-year-old goal scoring midfielder is the current captain and plays for Chinese second tier outfit Shenzhen Ruby. Chen’s best and worst international moments came against Malaysia in 2011 as he impressed in both games but failed to convert a penalty which eventually saw his nation lose the tie.
Ho Ming-tsan
The 29-year-old Taiwan Power Company FC striker is one of the biggest goal threats in the Chinese Taipei team. Ho finished as the top scorer to help his club win the 2011 AFC President’s Cup and will be aiming to have a similar impact in the 2014 Challenge Cup qualifiers.
