Juninho who was substituted early in the first half will be ruled out for a couple of weeks, meaning that he is likely to miss the penultimate game against Guam on Tuesday. I wonder if there will be a replacement called in for the final game?
Go with Ng Yu Hei to replace him... if Westwood does want to call up an additional player, I'm thinking Timmy Ma, or perhaps he will favor Matt Slattery / Merkeis instead.
Chinese Taipei defender Chen Po Liang was stretchered off when Tsui Wang-Ki scored. It was a lucky escape for Ashley Westwood's HK team. It was a really close call and Chinese Taipei almost got the draw they wanted. In the middle of the second half HK was under so much pressure it did not look like we would be getting the second goal. The commentators on RTHK 32, including veteran Lee Kin-Wo, were really worried at that point. We will probably defeat Guam on Tuesday and proceed to the finals in South Korea next summer. So I guess it doesn't matter how the team plays now.
When Juninho was injured and Awal was introduced, I thought maybe Stefan should move to the middle and Everton to the left wing. But Westwood wanted Everton down the middle and Stefan on the left, which was totally ineffective. Fortunately he realized this in the second half and had Jesse Yu take over Stefan's place. Westwood needs to be braver and more adventurous with his substitutions.
Will say that yesterday's match was always going to be a tight match especially when Ashley Westwood's side faced against a Chinese Taipei side led by Gary White who knows how to motivate his players. I know it is more or less likely that the Hong Kong national team are strong favourites to win the preliminary round in which I do not see Guam posing much of a threat in the final. Question is will Westwood field his strong team or bring out a "B" team against Guam? In addition, I really do hope that Lee Chi Kin and Tai Po can fully utilise Nicholas Benavides more and as much as they can as he is still a player who has got great potential to do well.
One thing I admire about Westwood - he knows that HF Yapp is our #1. I was quite frustrated at Jorn Andersen when he kept experimenting with Paulo.
A slight change within the starting eleven to face Guam as Chan Siu Kwan, Nicholas Benavides and Dudu come in for Stefan, Ngan Cheuk Pan and Juninho who is still in the subs bench despite sustaining an injury in the last match.
Classless performance from Guam #7 James Gomez. Multiple moment where he made unnecessary extra contact and could've injured both Ng and Yapp.
It was always going to be a tough task for Guam as the team ranked 47 places below Hong Kong were convincingly thumped. Goals from Chan Siu Kwan, Nicholas Benavides, Everton Camargo and a first for Dudu secured the national team's place in next year's E-1 EAFF East Asia Cup finals in South Korea. In addition, Ashley Westwood now equals Kwok Ka Ming's record with a sixth straight win as current manager.
2025 EAFF E-1 Championship preliminary round: Guam vs Hong Kong full match I have to applaud the 8000+ fans who attended the match. This was actually very likely Hong Kong national team's swan song in Hong Kong Stadium. Goodbye and I won't forget you.
I think Andersen played more attractive and competitive football but with poorer results. Ashley Westwood is much more conservative but he has been lucky with the fixtures. His 6 wins came against Cambodia, Philippines, Mauritius, Mongolia, Chinese Taipei, Guam. All matches were played at home. None were too threatening on paper. But two of them (Mauritius and Chinese Taipei) came close to snatching a draw against us. The only game Ashley Westwood led the team out on away turf, it was against bottom ranked Lichtenstein and we lost.
After the end of the match, the Hong Kong fans alerted the Guam team that there was one Guam fan in the South stand. The Guam players and team personnel then ran to the fan to thank him for his support and took a picture together. This was a nice moment.
Hong Kong Football Club Vs KC Southern: 1:0 Hong Kong Football Club managed to secure their second win of the season in which Jesus Salazar's only goal gave the club a much needed win against Yeung Ching Kwong's Southern side. The trouble for Southern first started after 9 minutes, when Gregory was given a straight red card after he seemingly deliberately whacked Callum Beattie in the face in which the club were down to 10 men. HKFC did had several opportunities to score in the first half from Daniel Scally and Habib Bah who nearly scored only for his shot to be denied by the woodwork. During the final few minutes of the first half, HKFC's Wong Sum Chit delivered a cross that eventually landed to Jesus Salazar in which he fired home to give the club the lead. KC Southern constantly tried to find an equaliser and although they had the opportunity to do so in the second half when Lai Hoi To appeared to brought down Shu Sasaki down in which a penalty was awarded. The Japanese midfielder took up from the penalty spot only to had struck the post. Southern kept on pressing for the equaliser which did not happen throughout the second half.
The dates for the next edition of the HK-Guangdong Cup is set to take place on 15th and 22nd January.
https://www.hkfa.com/en/news/announcements/21390/detail Hong Kong, China U23 Representative Team will participate in the 43rd Guangdong – Hong Kong Cup at Guangzhou on 15 January. The preliminary squad with 37 players is as follows: Goalkeepers: PONG Cheuk Hei (Crownity North District), CHUNG Hoi Man (Eastern), NG Wai Him (Kwoon Chung Southern), POON Sheung Hei (Lee Man) Defenders: Alexander Christian JOJO* (Eastern), LAI Hoi To, LAM Ho Hei (HKFC), KAM Chi Kin Jason (Kitchee), YIM Kai Cheuk (Kowloon City), CHAN Yun Tung (Kwoon Chung Southern), CHOW Timothy Stephen, LAW Cheuk Hei (Lee Man), SUNG Wang Ngai Khoki Takizawa (Tai Po), TSANG Lok To, TSANG Yi Hang Ellison, YU Wai Lim* Midfielders: LEE Ching (BC Rangers), LAU Kwan Ching (Crownity North District), WONG Ho Chun Anson, YU Jesse Joy Yin* (Eastern), WONG Sum Chit Sherman (HKFC), LI Shiu Hin (Kitchee), HO Lung Ho (Kowloon City), Sohgo ICHIKAWA (Kwoon Chung Southern), WU Chun Ming* (Lee Man), LEE Lok Him (Tai Po) Forwards: CHANG Kwong Yin, LAU Chi Lok* (BC Rangers), MA Hei Wai, NG Yu Hei (Eastern), Matthew Luke SLATTERY, YEUNG Cheuk Kwan (Kitchee), Awal MAHAMA*, Raphael Ayrton Lee MERKIES, Stefan FIGUEIREDO PEREIRA* (Kwoon Chung Southern), ORR Matthew Elliot Wing Kai* (Shenzhen Peng City), LAU Ka Kiu It seems Anthony Pinto will not feature for Hong Kong unless he can find a proper club.
A pretty interesting preliminary squad list that is comprised of some young players that had featured at various youth levels with the likes of TSANG Lok To who made headlines last month by becoming the first Hong Kong player to win an NCCA Division One Championship with the University of Vermont. In addition, LI Siu Hin of Kitchee is the youngest player named in the preliminary squad in which I believe he was also part of the U17 squad that had stunned Jordan and Syria during last year's AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers. I also see that those with an asterisk are players are the over-aged players that includes YU Wai Lim who was recently released by Wuxi Wugo as well as Matt ORR in which if he does makes it in to the final squad, he will be facing against his Shenzhen Peng City team mates who are within the Guangdong squad.
Transfer News: BC Rangers: Tai Po's Guilherme Biteco has joined the club on loan for the remainder of the 2024/25 season. The club had also acquired 27 year old South Korean striker Lim Hyoung-jun as well as 25 year old Japanese midfielder Daisuke Fukugawa of Iwate Grulla Morioka who was once a team mate of Au Yeung Yu Chung. 34 year old Shunya Suganuma departs from the club as he joins Cambodian club Khon Kaen United. Tai Po: Ex HK-U23 goalkeeper Michael Wan joins Tai Po having spent the first season of the 2024/25 season with Eastern District. The club also acquired Brazilian-Spaniard Patrick Valverde from Cypriot club Omonia Aradippou. Lee Man: The club has recently added Afghanistan international midfielder Taufee Skandari as well as former HK U23 striker Kyle Lau Ka Kiu who was part of Jorn Andersen's Asian Games squad that reached the semi-finals. Hong Kong Football Club: According to Transfermarkt, the club re-signed English-Costa Rican centre back Felix Perez Doyle after he spent the first half of the season with North District. In addition, the club had also acquired 19 year old Danish left back named Jonas Sorensen to their ranks. Eastern: Kyrgyzstan international Tamirlan Kozubaev announced his departure from Eastern in which he is set to join an unnamed Indonesian club.
The Hong Kong Premier League resumed today as two fixtures kicked off the 2025 year with BC Rangers taking on North District whilst riding from their second win against Southern last month, Hong Kong Football Club are hoping to keep their momentum going as they faced off against league leaders Tai Po FC. BC Rangers Vs North District - 4:4 League strugglers BC Rangers and North District faced each other that ended with eight goals scored as both teams settled for a draw. It all started when Weverton Guilherme opened to score for North District after a VAR check which showed that the ball went past the line in which the referee awarded the goal. Things went from bad to worse for BC Rangers as they conceded another goal eight minutes later as Weverton grabbed his second. It could had been a third had Kendy scored from the penalty spot, but he did add a third eventually in the 34th minute. Eight minutes later, Barak Braunshtain's cross founded Lau Chi Lok who headed the ball for Rangers to pull a goal back. However a few minutes later Kendy scored his second goal which gave North District the lead. During the second half, Kayron Guilherme was given his marching orders after he seemingly caused a violent conduct in which North District were down to 10 players. Despite maintaining their lead, North District blew it after a spirited comeback from Rangers with goals from Lau Chi Lok, Fernando and Luizinho equalised in which both clubs shared points at the end of the match. HKFC Vs Tai Po FC - 2:0 Hong Kong Football Club were looking to earn their third win of the Hong Kong Premier League as they took on league leaders Tai Po FC who remained unbeaten. However that winning and unbeaten run came to an end for Tai Po as goals from Callum Beattie and from their former player Toby Down which was enough for the home side to grab three valuable points to stun the league leaders.
Eastern had confirmed the departure of Jesse Yu Joy Yin in which he is speculated to join China League One club Shijiazhuang Gongfu. In addition, it is also speculated that rising youngster Ng Yu Hei is also heading for a move to China as well to join Chongqing Tonglianglong. Makes me wonder who exactly will act as their replacements? Also Sun Ming Him joins CSL club Tianjin Jinmen Tiger after his previous club Cangzhou Mighty Lions cited with debt and salary issues.
Lee Man has confirmed the departure of Iraqi international Jiloan Hamad who joined the during the Summer Transfer window in which it is expected that the arrival of Taufee Skandari will take his place. In addition, Chan Chi Hong makes his coaching return where he is taking over the role of Pau Ka Yiu as North District's new head coach.
Here is the final 23 man squad named for the upcoming Hong Kong-Guangdong Cup: Goalkeepers PONG Cheuk Hei (Crownity North District), CHUNG Hoi Man (Eastern), NG Wai Him (Kwoon Chung Southern) Defenders Christian Alexander JOJO (Eastern), YIM Kai Cheuk (Kowloon City), CHAN Yun Tung (Kwoon Chung Southern), CHOW Timothy Stephen (Lee Man), SUNG Wang Ngai Khoki Takizawa (Tai Po), TSANG Lok To, TSANG Yi Hang Ellison, YU Wai Lim Midfielders LAU Kwan Ching (Crownity North District), WONG Ho Chun Anson (Eastern), HO Lung Ho (Kowloon City), Sohgo ICHIKAWA (Kwoon Chung Southern), WU Chun Ming (Lee Man), LEE Lok Him (Tai Po) Forwards LAU Chi Lok (BC Rangers), MA Hei Wai (Eastern) Awal MAHAMA, Raphael Ayrton Lee MERKIES, Stefan FIGUEREDO PEREIRA (Kwoon Chung Southern), LAU Ka Kiu (Lee Man)