2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers: Hong Kong Football Team Matches and Results

2024-03-21 13:56:02

[Tilu News]The Hong Kong football team, ranked 154th in the world, played in the second round group stage of the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers at the Mong Kok Stadium on Thursday (21st) night. No. 88 Uzbekistan, although they managed to keep a clean sheet in the first half, were attacked twice by the away team in the second half and lost another game 0:2. After the game, they continued to be ranked at the bottom of the group with 1 and 2 losses. The Hong Kong Football Team will start tomorrow (22nd) to prepare for the away match against Uzbekistan on the 26th. Coach Anderson confirmed after the game that Elio, Everton and Chung Le-an will not be with the team, which will greatly reduce the opportunity to grab points.

Hong Kong Football Team is in Group E with Iran, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan in this year’s qualifiers. They played the first two games in November last year. After losing to Iran 0:4 in the first game, they returned to their home court and relied on Huang Wei and Everton to score a goal each. They scored the first point of this tournament with a 2:2 match against Turkmenistan; after two rounds of matches with Uzbekistan tonight and on the 26th, they will play Iran at home and visit Turkmenistan in June.

I believe Hong Kong fans will not be too unfamiliar with Uzbekistan. Since the 1994 Asian Games, the two places have met in international competitions 7 times, with Hong Kong football losing 3 and 4. As for the subsequent Asian Games that were not included in the A-level competition, the two teams The army has played against each other in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2023. The Hong Kong football team only relied on Chen Weihao to win the match in the Guangzhou Asian Games group stage and beat the opponent 1:0; in 2014, in Incheon, the current Hong Kong football team Chen Zhaojun made a contribution. , forced a 1:1 draw with the Uzbek Army; later in the Jakarta Asian Games and Hangzhou Asian Games, Hong Kong Football Team lost in all four games. The closest match was in the second group match of the Hangzhou Asian Games, when Li Yikai scored an early goal to give Hong Kong Football Team the lead. , but then their opponents defeated them twice in a row and lost 1:2. Later, they met again in the third place game, and Hong Kong Football Team even lost 4 goals.

Uzbekistan has only visited Hong Kong twice in the past. In the 2006 Asian Cup, they played the home team with a score of 0:0; in 2013, they met in the same event and won 2:0. This was the third visit to the East, and the game was moved to Mong Kok Stadium for the first time. With the fans cheering and cheering at a packed stadium, cheers such as “We are Hong Kong” and “The Hong Kong team is strong” could be heard constantly.

Before the game, the home team held a thank-you ceremony for Huang Yang and Ju Yingzhi, two big brothers who had just bid farewell to the Hong Kong Football Team. Both of them were also very grateful to the FA for the arrangement. “Ah Chi” even joked that from now on he will be just like a fan. If anyone in the Hong Kong team performs poorly, he will make trouble! Huang Yang also said: “From the first time I attended the East Asian Cup as a student to today when I entered the venue to receive blessings and palms, it is the most unforgettable memory in my life. Thank you everyone for your support!”

The Hong Kong Football Team’s lineup this time is missing Leung Nok-hang, Lawrence Lawless, Huang Wei, Chen Jinyi and Du Du. Even Chung Lok-on, who has passed the final selection, is not on standby due to an injury to his left shoulder. Coach Anderson will start tonight with captain Ye Honghui, who has just turned 34 years old. The defense will consist of Ru Zinan, Zhou Yuande, Elio, and Sun Mingqian from right to left; the midfielder will consist of Chen Junle, Hu Jinming, and Chen Zhaojun; the 3rd arrow will be Ai Hua. Dun, An Yongjia and Zuliannu, the latter is the first regular selection after naturalization.

Uzbekistan took the initiative at the start of the game and even scored a goal in the early stages. Fortunately, a foul was called first. Captain Soumu Rodov, wearing the No. 14 jersey, also posed a great threat to the Hong Kong team’s defense. Fortunately, the “birthday boy” Yip Honghui also performed well. Of course, the Hong Kong team was able to keep a clean sheet at halftime, thanks to the goalpost. The opponent made a single attack, and Zhou Yuan Debai successfully saved the opponent in front of the boundary.

However, Uzbekistan, ranked 66th in the world, was superior after all. In only 4 minutes of the second half, Sumurodov received a cross from the left and hit the near goal to open the record. The home team made adjustments at the 63rd minute of the game, replacing An Yongjia and Everton with Mi Gao and Pan Peixuan. Unfortunately, the visiting team turned to a corner kick and Ashurmatov broke the net, leading to 2:0. The Hong Kong team’s offensive performance throughout the game was mediocre. Even if Yu Zaiyan, Stephen Penglina and Xu Hongjie were replaced before the end of the game, there were only a few real threats to score, and the game ended with a net loss of two goals.

After completing 3 games, Hong Kong Football Team continued to be at the bottom of the list with 1 and 2 losses in the group. Before another match in the same group between Iran and Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan temporarily rose to the top of the list with 2 wins, 1 and 7 points. Hong Kong football coach Anderson admitted after the game: “It will inevitably be disappointing to lose, but I am happy to see the strong fighting spirit of the Hong Kong team with the support of the fans. Of course, this is not enough. We have Yip Honghui who performed well on the defensive line, but in the It is indeed a bit difficult to organize the offense.” The Hong Kong team will leave for Uzbekistan tomorrow (22nd) and prepare to be a guest next Tuesday (26th). Coach Antoine confirmed that Eliot, Everton and Chung Le’an will not be with the team. By-election Ai Hua enlisted in the army.