Hong Kong beat Guangdong, Andersen’s team sustain Asian Cup feel-good factor at raucous Mong Kok Stadium
- Philip Chan scores stunning opener, with Max Poon adding second soon after half-time
- Second leg of 42nd Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup to take place in Guangzhou next Wednesday
Hong Kong delivered an impressive display of quick and incisive football to beat a Guangdong XI 2-0 at Mong Kok Stadium on Thursday.
And any fears the game would feel like a hangover after the national team’s Asian Cup adventure, were blown away before a ball was kicked.
It felt like one side of the ground had been transported directly from Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, scene of Hong Kong’s final game in Qatar last week, with a red horde whipping up a partisan atmosphere. They were rewarded with goals in either half from Philip Chan Siu-kwan and Max Poon Pui-hin.
Jeers drowned out the announcement of the Guangdong team, and the vocal antipathy towards the mainland visitors did not dim all night. An away player needed only to touch the ball to be reminded they were not in friendly surrounds.
The loudest noise of the night, though, was the roar from most of the 5,067 people in the crowd that greeted Chan’s 11th-minute goal.
Marcus Chang Hei-yin, whose close control and direct running consistently tormented Guangdong down Hong Kong’s left, skipped past Ye Chugui and advanced to slide a pass infield for Chan.
