United News of Bangladesh

Defending champions China beat Taiwan 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Asian Cup on Saturday, securing a place in the semifinals against host Australia and qualifying for the 2027 Women’s World Cup. The match ended goalless after 90 minutes despite China dominating the game between the two sides that have long-standing geopolitical tensions. Shao Ziqin finally broke the deadlock three minutes into extra time. A late own goal by Taiwan sealed a deserved victory for the Chinese team. Iran withdraws from 2026 FIFA World Cup amid war “I’m very happy that we won today and that I could score a goal,” Shao said after the match. “We are now in the last four. Thank you everyone for your support.” Earlier on Friday, Sam Kerr scored once and set up another goal as Australia advanced to the semifinals and confirmed their World Cup berth with a 2-1 victory over North Korea. Later on Saturday, South Korea were scheduled to face Uzbekistan in another quarterfinal in Sydney. On Sunday, Japan will play the final quarterfinal against the Philippines, also in Sydney. Japan enter the match with three wins from three group games and a tournament-best 17 goals without conceding. The semifinals will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the final is scheduled for next Saturday in Sydney. World Cup qualification All four semifinalists of the Women’s Asian Cup automatically qualify for next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil. North Korea will get another opportunity to qualify through a playoff match next Thursday in Australia. The teams finishing fifth and sixth in the tournament will also earn places at the World Cup. Earlier in the week, the group stage was overshadowed by Iran’s withdrawal from the tournament after members of its delegation were granted asylum.