By Agatha Leung Nga Wing (OCA Young Reporter from Hong Kong, China)
Hangzhou, China, October 1, 2023: After 53 years, the Hong Kong, China football team has made it to the quarter-finals of the Asian Games men's football tournament.
On Sunday night they made history when forward Poon Pui-Hin scored the only goal of the match, defeating Iran 1-0 in the quarter-finals and securing a spot in the last four for the first time in history.
In the first half, Sun Ming-him had the first attempt in the sixth minute, but, unfortunately, it was blocked by the Iranian goalkeeper. Later on, Iran started to pressure their opponents, but Hong Kong's defense did not make any mistakes and successfully resisted Iran’s attacks.
Goalkeeper Tse Ka-wing also made several saves. By the time 30 minutes had passed, almost the entire Hong Kong team was holding their ground, with the players maintaining a high level of concentration. Although Iran continuously launched attacks with high balls and low crosses from both sides, Hong Kong, China's team did not concede a goal.
Then, the magic moment of the Hong Kong, China football team happened. Just one minute into the second half, Hong Kong, China's Wong Ho-Chun dribbled and passed the ball into Iran's penalty area, where forward Matt Orr headed it to Poon Pui-Hin, who scored, giving Hong Kong, China a 1-0 lead.
Despite Iran's attempts to mount a comeback, with more than 20 shot attempts in the match, Hong Kong's defense, led by goalkeeper Tse Ka-wing, held firm and did not concede. In the end, they maintained their lead until the final whistle, achieving a historic milestone by advancing to the semi-finals of the Asian Games men's football for the first time. They will take on Japan, who beat North Korea in another quarter final, on October 4.
