EAFF Championship: Hong Kong coach Andersen ‘proud’ of players, despite South Korea defeat
- Two goals from Kang Seong-jin and a strike from captain Hong Chul give Korea 3-0 win
- Andersen hails side’s defensive effort but admits they need work upfront after failing to score for second game running
Hong Kong head coach Jorn Andersen said he was proud of his players after their 3-0 defeat at the hands of South Korea in the East Asian Football Championship on Sunday.
Two goals from Kang Seong-jin and a strike from captain Hong Chul was enough to decide a game in which Hong Kong struggle to pose much of an attacking threat.
But Andersen’s side were far better defensively that in their previous game against Japan, which they lost 6-0, and the head coach said he thought his players had taken “a big step forward”.
“We made it difficult for South Korea to play against us, they kept the ball a lot but didn’t create many chances because we defended well.
“We tried to play the same way in the second half with a lot of running, a lot of movement, a lot of energy and attacking the ball all the time. I’m really proud of how we played against one of the best teams in Asia.”
While Korea dominated for much of the game, Hong Kong were unlucky to fall behind in the manner they did.
A pass from Kim Jing-yu found Kang free on the edge of the Hong Kong penalty, and his snap shot deflected off the foot of Sean Tse Ka-keung, looped over goalkeeper Chan Ka-ho, hit the crossbar and went in.
