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Hong Kong international footballer Cheung Wai-ki poses with a Brisbane Roar shirt. Photo: HKFA

Hong Kong star Cheung Wai-ki named one to watch at AFC Women’s Futsal Championship

Second edition of the tournament kicks off in Bangkok on May 2 when Hong Kong take on Indonesia in opening game

Hong Kong’s Cheung Wai-ki has been named among the five star players to look out for when the AFC Women’s Futsal Championship gets underway in Bangkok on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old arrives at Thailand 2018 after a season playing professional soccer with the Australian W-League side Brisbane Roar, who signed her after she impressed on a trial. The Queensland side topped the table but lost the semi-final to eventual grand final winners Melbourne City.

Cheung became the first Hongkonger to win silverware in Australian women’s football, adding to her Hong Kong title with Citizen.

A full international for the Hong Kong football side, Cheung is the star of the indoor game and will hope to add her to her international goals tally in Bangkok. While this is her first AFC Women’s Futsal Championship, she impressed at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games last September.

The tournament begins on May 2 with Hong Kong playing Indonesia in the opening game. The final is May 12.

This is the team’s second appearance at the tournament after the inaugural competition in 2015 when they went out in the group stage.

The top two in each group advance to the quarters. Hong Kong are in group A with Thailand, Macau and Indonesia.

Taiwan are in group B with Vietnam, Malaysia and Bangladesh while China are in group C with runners-up in 2015 Japan, Bahrain and Lebanon.

The final group, which only contains three teams, including holders Iran alongside Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

Iran’s Fereshteh Karimi was named MVP at the 2015 tournament in Nilai, Malaysia. She is expected to star in Bangkok and was among the five players picked out by the AFC website. The others are Sasicha Phothiwong of Thailand, Japan’s Shiori Nakajima and Lyudmila Karachik of Uzbekistan.

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