EAFF: Hong Kong meet China for first time since protests began as both teams try to avoid ‘wooden spoon’ in Busan
- Backdrop of ongoing protests, now in its seventh month, gives football match added impetus
- Teams last met in the Russia 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers back in 2015, with both games finishing 0-0
Hong Kong meet China in their final game at the EAFF Football Championship in Busan, South Korea, on Wednesday afternoon with much at stake.
Both teams go into the match having been beaten by both the hosts and Japan’s largely under-23 squad, with Mixu Paatelainen’s Hong Kong side on the wrong end of a 5-0 loss to the 2020 Olympic Games hosts on Saturday night. That came on the back of a 2-0 defeat by Paulo Bento’s South Korea in the opening game last Wednesday.
Paatelainen was unhappy after the game and will want immediate improvement from his defenders on Wednesday. “The boys are in good spirits,” Paatelainen said. “I’m expecting a good performance, nothing else. The last match was disappointing, how we defended. We have defended much better. We know if we play well as a team, play well collectively, then we make it very, very difficult for China.”
China manager Li Tie, who took charge of the national team for this competition in the aftermath of Marcello Lippi’s resignation following defeat by Syria in Fifa World Cup 2022 qualifiers last month, has overseen a narrow 2-1 loss to Japan in the tournament opener and a 1-0 defeat to South Korea at the weekend.
However, the former Everton footballer was full of praise for his players’ attitude following the latest defeat, thanking them for their hard work and fight.
