Mixu Paatelainen sees red as Hong Kong end World Cup qualifiers with 4-0 loss to Bahrain
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- ‘We lost our legs and were not on our toes. It’s disappointing,’ Finn says after shipping four second-half goals to hosts
All four goals came in the second half at the Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa, including two penalty kicks that wrapped the Hong Kong campaign in dismay with a fourth-place finish among five teams in the group.
The crushing result appeared to have ended their progress to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifying third round as they missed out on being one of the four best fourth-placed teams across all groups. Afghanistan forced a 1-1 draw against India in group E and took over Hong Kong as fourth-best runner-up so Mixu Paatelainen’s side were set to enter the qualifying play-off round later this year.
However, the AFC confirmed that Hong Kong were among 22 teams to qualify for the third qualifying round and that the play-offs for the final two teams to join would be contested between Indonesia, Cambodia, Taiwan and Guam.
Building on their last results against heavyweights Iran, who finished top of the group, and Iraq as the tournament became a bubble-based competition in Bahrain because of the pandemic, Hong Kong had high expectations against the hosts.
The teams played out a goalless draw in 2019 when the qualifiers were still in the home-and-away format but it was a different story in Bahrain. After a first half when Hong Kong were still able to mount some serious attacks, the second half became a one-sided slaughter.
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“I thought we defended well in the first half,” said manager Paatelainen, who was sent off with the score 3-0 as he protested the second penalty. “We nullified Bahrain’s effort and our players knew exactly what the Bahrain players wanted to do. But the second half was a dip in our performance and we are not pleased at all. We lost our legs and were not on our toes. It’s disappointing.
“I tried to ask the players in the dressing room. I asked them if they were really tired … we did not make any substitutions at half-time. We were not switching on and were not sharp, both feet in our play. I think it’s tiredness … when you do that in international matches you get punished.
“But overall, I am really happy with the players’ commitment, really happy the way they applied themselves in the matches, training sessions, meetings, the way they received information and they have improved, vastly.”
Despite conceding four goals, the manager did not blame goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai. “Our goalkeeper wasn’t at fault at any of the balls. He made some fantastic saves,” said Paatelainen.
“I’m not happy with our defenders … how sharp they performed in those situations in the second half. I have to look at the video and analyse to get some answers.
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“But the first two goals came very close to each other. It changed the game. It gave the wind behind the sails of the attacking team with goals at 2-0 up.
“It changed the mentality of the players. But we haven’t been together for over a year and a half and not played any matches, not had any training session, any meeting, nothing because Hong Kong government has very strict regulations (under the pandemic).
“It’s very difficult against a country that has been playing regularly.”
The manager’s contract is due to expire at the end of June and the Football Association will have to decide on Paatelainen’s future soon.
