Fifa international break: Hong Kong goal drought ends as Brazil-born Everton Camargo’s debut strike promises passport to success
- After nine-month wait for a passport to make him eligible to play, forward proves worth waiting for as he scores with a free kick in draw with Cambodia
- Camargo’s opener is the first Hong Kong goal in 12 months scored by their own player
Everton Camargo celebrated a long-awaited debut goal for Hong Kong in a 1-1 friendly international draw away to Cambodia on Thursday night.
The Brazil-born forward’s opener, from a first-half free kick in Phnom Penh, not only followed his own nine-month wait for a passport so that he could represent Hong Kong, having completed seven years’ residency.
It also ended a wretched goal drought for the national team stretching back to last year.
Since a 3-0 win in June 2022 – also against Cambodia – that helped them qualify for the Asian Cup finals, Hong Kong’s only goals of their own had come in a closed-doors clash with Myanmar last September.
Their sole strike in 2023 had been a Singapore own goal in a 1-1 draw in March, when they had suffered three defeats to nil.
