India suffered heartbreak in Sydney on Tuesday as a 1–3 defeat to Chinese Taipei ended their AFC Women’s Asian Cup campaign in a must-win final group-stage match. However, winger Manisha Kalyan stole the spotlight with a spectacular long-range free kick.
Trailing 0–1 in the 39th minute, Manisha unleashed a thunderous strike from nearly 30 yards out that curled viciously and crashed off the crossbar. The ball bounced back into play, leaving players briefly uncertain about whether it had crossed the line.
Manisha immediately signalled for a VAR check, confident she had scored. Replays confirmed that the ball had struck the underside of the crossbar before bouncing over the line, bringing India level.
The commentator was quick to label it the “goal of the tournament”, adding that Manisha’s favourite footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, “will surely like that.”
Despite the stunning equaliser, Chinese Taipei regained control before the break. In the closing minutes of the first half, Y. Y. Hsu’s effort struck the post and deflected off goalkeeper Elangbam Panthoi Chanu before rolling into the net.
Chinese Taipei had earlier taken the lead in the 12th minute when Y. H. Su capitalised on a poor back pass from Sanju to slot the ball into an empty net after intercepting the move ahead of J. W. Chen.
The final blow came in the 77th minute when Yu-Chin Chen finished off a run down the right flank to beat Panthoi and seal the result.
The 3–1 defeat confirmed India’s exit from the tournament. The Blue Tigresses had earlier lost to Vietnam and Japan, leaving them needing a victory by at least two goals against Chinese Taipei while also hoping Japan would defeat Vietnam.
Although Japan did their part with a 4–0 win over Vietnam, India were unable to deliver the required result.
