Hong Kong’s disastrous results at Asian Cup U23 qualifiers can teach players ‘a big lesson’, says coach
- Coach Szeto Man-chun says Hong Kong’s 10-0 thrashing by hosts Uzbekistan brought him shame
- Team also loses 3-0 to Iran and finishes weekend with a 0-0 draw with Afghanistan
Hong Kong head coach Szeto Man-chun apologised for his team’s embarrassing performance at the AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, but urged his young players to keep their spirits up.
In failing to score a single goal, Hong Kong managed only one point from their three group matches, losing twice and drawing once, in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent.
The team started off the qualifiers with a 3-0 defeat to Iran, followed by a humiliating 10-0 hammering by the hosts on Saturday, but responded with a goalless draw against Afghanistan in the last match on Monday.
“I think first of all, I want to apologise to Hong Kong supporters,” Szeto said in a press conference following Saturday’s defeat. “I feel shame according to the result, according to the performance. This is not acceptable.”
With some Hong Kong players on the verge of ageing out of the international youth tournament, Szeto said he did not want the results to affect the them in the long term.
“They should have learned a big lesson from the tournament,” the coach said. “Against some better teams, their standard in terms of skills, physical strength and speed are much better than us, as there is a big gap to close for our players against stronger teams.
“But they must also know this cannot be done overnight and it requires a long process. I hope they will not give up their hope just because of the result this time and continue to pursue their future with more hard work and effort.”
The coach added that he had hoped to finish the tournament with a win over Afghanistan, but said missed opportunities during the game, along with unfavourable referees’ calls, put the team in an tough position.
As some players were still involved in domestic weekend fixtures leading up to the team’s departure for the qualifiers, Szeto said the hectic schedule had also affected their performance.
But several squad members still have little time for rest, as they kick off their next international campaign at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, which begin on September 23.
