Head coach Jorn Andersen says Hong Kong facing their ‘most important game’ in EAFF Championship opener
- Hajime Moriyasu has selected a group of players that are entirely domestic-based, but Andersen is not letting down his guard
- ‘Japan is the strongest team of everybody, this will be the most important game that we play here,’ the Hong Kong coach says
Hong Kong begin their East Asia Cup campaign against host’s Japan on Tuesday, with head coach Jorn Andersen labelling it “the most important game we play”.
Andersen has already given his side the underdogs status for a tournament where they will also face South Korea and China, and said his only expectation for the team was “to learn and get experience”.
Still, the build-up has been less than ideal for the Norwegian, with two of his players, Leung Nok-hang and Tan Chun-lok, yet to arrive at the team base. The pair, who play for Guangzhou City and Zhejiang in the Chinese Super League, had issues with their entry visas.
While Tan was expected to arrive on Monday evening, Leung’s paperwork was still being processed, according to officials. Vas Núñez, who also plies his trade in the CSL with Meizhou Hakka, joined up with the rest of the squad over the weekend as planned.
“Them arriving late is a little bit of a problem, in terms of our preparation for the first game,” Andersen said. “We know that Japan is the strongest team of everybody, they’re playing at home, in their own stadium in front of their own fans, so I think this will be the most important game that we play here.”
While Japan and South Korea are in the midst of preparing for the World Cup in Qatar later this year, Andersen’s thoughts lie elsewhere.
Just six months into the job, and he has already guided his side to a place in the Asia Cup for the first time in 54 years.
