EAFF Championship: Hong Kong given chastening lesson in 6-0 thrashing by hosts Japan
- Head coach Jorn Andersen says there is still a huge gap to the biggest teams in the region after opening defeat in Ibaraki
- Hong Kong will meet South Korea on Sunday before taking on China three days later
Hong Kong were given a chastening lesson during Tuesday night’s 6-0 thrashing by Japan in the opening game of the EAFF Championship at Kashima Soccer Stadium in Ibaraki.
The hosts dominated throughout, with Hong Kong conceding four goals in the first half, the first coming in just the second minute.
Japan’s Yuki Soma, Shuto Machino and Takuma Nishimura all netted twice on a night that goalkeeper Paulo Argolo will hope to forget.
After the high of qualifying for the Asian Cup last month in India, Hong Kong were brought swiftly back down to earth, but head coach Jorn Andersen is under no illusions.
The poor result came despite Hong Kong arguably having a stronger squad than in Kolkata, with Andersen able to call upon players from the Chinese Super League who had been forced to miss the qualification campaign in India.
Meizhou Hakka central defender Vas Nunez featured for the first time in a senior tournament, while Guangzhou City midfield powerhouse Tan Chun-lok – who only arrived from mainland China on the eve of the game – was given the second half to make an impression.
