TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan fell 2-0 to China in extra time in their Women’s Asian Cup quarterfinals game on Saturday in Perth, Australia.

The result means that Taiwan will not travel to Brazil for the World Cup next year.

Taiwan struggled to create chances against a well-organized opponent, per Fox Sports. China’s solid defense and timely goals secured their advancement as defending champions.

At the end of 90 minutes the game was scoreless, but China finally broke the deadlock four minutes into extra time, per Straits Times. An own goal killed off Taiwan’s hopes.

The match drew attention from fans on both sides, many traveling to support their teams. For Taiwanese players like Chen Yi-ying (陳怡瑛), it was a tough outing, but the focus remained on the competition itself.

This was despite fears ahead of the game that it would be overshadowed by politics after former Taiwan men’s national soccer team coach Chen Kuei-jen (陳貴人) was ejected from the stadium in Sydney, Australia, in a previous match, for leading fan chants of “Go Taiwan!” 

In response, the foreign ministry had instructed staff to safeguard the rights of fans and to monitor the match.