Despite the loss, it was still Hong Kong’s best-ever finish in the men’s tournament at an Asiad, having only reached the quarterfinals once before in 1958.

“We are a bit loose, but we tried our best throughout the tournament,” the Norwegian coach said a post-match press conference.

“But by reaching the semi-final and the bronze medal match we still see the difference between Japan, Uzbekistan, and Hong Kong. The difference was not like before, and we were much closer.

“When we see the first two halves in the last two games, I think we were very close, and small things decided they got the goal and we didn’t. We know what we have to do to be better in the future.”

Before the match, Andersen believed his team could compete with the Uzbeks despite losing 1-0 and 2-1 in two group matches last month.

The city’s young guns were able to hold on for much of the opening half, goalkeeper Tse Ka-wing first called into action in the 43rd minute when he parried an Ibrokhim Ibragimov free kick from 20 yards out.

But Uzbekistan soon took the lead moments later. Alisher Odilov cut in from the right before unleashing a shot with his left foot past Tse to give his side the lead at the break.

Things went further south soon after the restart, as Uzbekistan bagged two goals in quick succession. Khusain Norchaev gobbled up two tap-ins, after Makhmudjon Makhamadjonov and Otabek Jurakuziyev put them on a plate for the 21-year-old forward.

Defender Alibek Davronov added a fourth 15 minutes from time with a clever back-heel flick to seal the match and the bronze medal.

“We know our condition is not strong enough for two halves against strong and good teams,” Andersen added. “We have to build this up in the Hong Kong Premier League, and we have to play and train more so our players may be able to compete with these opponents in the future.

“We were not strong enough to defend against and attack such opponents at the same time. We can do it in one half, as proven in the match against Iran.

“If we were lucky and were able to score the first goal, then we can try to defend for the whole game but it’s still not possible for us to compete with the best in every game.”

Hong Kong captain Wu Chun-ming echoed the assessment of his coach, and admitted he was “disappointed” with their performance.

“Conceding a goal just before halftime hurt, it changed everything and made us suffer. We were out of gas around the 60-minute mark so we must improve our stamina so we can compete with the better teams in the region,” Wu said.

“We were excited to have reached the semi-finals but as we got thrashed in the next two matches it was disappointing. I felt sorry for those supporting us in Hangzhou, and back home in Hong Kong.

“To rank fourth among 21 teams at the Asian Games, I hope it encourages those who come after us to try and play for Hong Kong, just like us triumphing at the 2009 East Asian Games had an impact on me.”

Goalkeeper Tse, who was Hong Kong’s undoubted player of the tournament after a string of heroic displays, refused to take solace from going further than ever before.

“I hope one day Hong Kong can fight for a medal at the Asian Games, not by luck or by performing beyond our usual standard,” Tse told HOY TV, which is broadcasting the Games in Hong Kong.

“I hope we can reach the quarter-finals and semi-finals on a regular basis. I don’t want to say anything like it’s a glorious defeat, I don’t like this phrase at all.”