Hong Kong defender Cristiano Cordeiro summed up the feelings of his teammates and 26,000 exultant fans after the SAR's stunning soccer victory over World Cup finalists China in the Carlsberg Cup.
'Unbelievable, simply fantastic,' he said. 'Nobody expected us to beat China. They are going to the World Cup as everybody knows. But we did it. We beat them,' said the Brazilian.
The SAR's League XI - a mixture of expatriates and local players - won 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Hong Kong Stadium, inflicting a huge embarrassment on the team ahead of the World Cup finals this summer.
It must have made awful viewing for China coach Bora Milutinovic - who was resting in Beijing following a mild bout of pneumonia - and an estimated 240 million mainland fans watching Tuesday's game on television.
Hong Kong coach Tsang Wai-chung was ecstatic. 'I just have to thank my players who tried really hard from beginning to end. They played brilliantly.'
Brazilian midfielder Aderbal Filho was Hong Kong's hero, scoring the team's 69th-minute equaliser and then netting the winning penalty in the shoot-out to ensure the SAR play Honduras in tomorrow night's final. China will play World Cup finalists Slovenia in the third-place game.