Asian Games 2023: Hong Kong footballers denied bronze, as coach calls for conditioning overhaul in domestic league
- Jorn Andersen’s side suffer another 4-0 defeat on Saturday and settle for a fourth-place finish in Hangzhou
- ‘We know our condition is not strong enough for two halves against strong and good teams,’ coach admits
Hong Kong football coach Jorn Andersen has called on the domestic Premier League to overhaul the conditioning of its players, after his national side missed out on a medal at the Asian Games.
Andersen’s men were dealt another heavy defeat as they lost 4-0 to Uzbekistan and had to settle for a fourth-place finish on Saturday afternoon.
Just three days after their 4-0 thrashing by Japan in the semi-finals, Hong Kong were outclassed by the Uzbeks for the third time in 16 days at the Shangcheng Sports Centre Stadium.
Despite the loss, it was still Hong Kong’s best-ever finish in the men’s tournament at an Asiad, having only reached the quarterfinals once before in 1958.
“We are a bit loose, but we tried our best throughout the tournament,” the Norwegian coach said a post-match press conference.
“But by reaching the semi-final and the bronze medal match we still see the difference between Japan, Uzbekistan, and Hong Kong. The difference was not like before, and we were much closer.
