Hong Kong grab dramatic late win over Chinese Taipei to move step closer to EAFF finals

Tsui Wang-kit scored a dramatic late winner as Hong Kong beat Chinese Taipei 2-1 on Saturday to take a big stride towards next year’s East Asian Football Federation Championship finals.

With Chinese Taipei beginning to get under Hong Kong’s skin as they tried to cling to the point that would have sent them to Tuesday’s qualifying final, the 5ft 8in (1.72-metre) defender Tsui leapt highest in a crowded penalty box to turn home a corner from Jesse Yu Joy-yin and spark pandemonium inside a packed Mong Kok Stadium.

For periods of the second half, the hosts seemed out of ideas against a technically sound Chinese Taipei, who spurned a handful of opportunities to take the lead.

And when Everton Camargo somehow turned a Mahama Awal delivery over the bar after 74 minutes, it felt as though the game was up for Ashley Westwood’s side.

But that was to reckon without Tsui, who made his first Hong Kong start for 15 months in last Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Mongolia.

This victory, Hong Kong’s fifth in a row, sends the home team into a qualifying decider against Guam, Asia’s lowest-ranked team, down at world No 203. The final will be at Hong Kong Stadium, a decision that seems questionable after another vibrant Mong Kok atmosphere undeniably helped the hosts summon their late rally.