Hong Kong 0-1 Thailand: players urged to score more goals after opening defeat of Gary White era
New boss promises fans they will get to see goals from his unit
Against the Thais, who are ranked 21 places ahead of their hosts in the latest Fifa rankings, Hong Kong, ranked 143, could not find the net despite 20 attempts on goal – 10 on target – as they lost 1-0 in the international friendly at Mong Kok Stadium on Thursday night.
Philip Roller took advantage of a lapse in concentration in the opening stages, as he charged down the right flank and, after a defensive blunder, bagged the decisive goal of the match against hapless Hong Kong goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai in just the second minute.
Despite strong support from most of the 4,740 fans at the stadium, Hong Kong failed to recover the early deficit. Festus Baise came closest to equalising in the first half when his header was denied by the woodwork before Alex Akande’s close range shot flew inches wide of target.
Second half substitute Giovane da Silva, making his international debut for Hong Kong after obtaining the required documentation just last month, also had a goal-mouth chance denied by the goalkeeper.
