AFC Asian Cup finals: goal machine Poon Pui-hin insists ‘anything is possible’ on Hong Kong’s great adventure
- Poon emerging as a candidate to start for Hong Kong at the finals after scoring three goals in two practice games
- Forward learned a hard lesson after AFC Champions League red card for Kitchee
Poon Pui-hin insists “anything is possible” for Hong Kong at next month’s AFC Asian Cup finals, after the forward scored three goals in two games to put his hand up for a starting spot in Qatar.
The Kitchee player got the national team out of a hole with two late strikes to earn victory over HK U23 in a practice match on Saturday, after netting in a 2-1 defeat by his club side five days earlier.
Hong Kong were short of rhythm and cohesion in both games – understandable given they landed bang in the middle of a series of exhausting training sessions, with Jorn Andersen ramping-up fitness levels in the early stages of a pre-tournament camp.
Poon, however, emerged from the two matches with credit. He bagged a trio of poacher’s goals, and performed with the urgency and ambition Andersen demands.
He was already in the head coach’s good books after a string of impressive displays at this year’s Asian Games, notably when he bagged the only goal against Iran to book the city’s under-23s a semi-final spot.
“I am so happy I have shown the coach I can perform how he wants in games, it is a big positive for me before the Asian Cup,” Poon said.