Hong Kong boss Andersen hails atmosphere fans created in Mong Kok, considers moving games to smaller venue
- Hong Kong won their opening game against Guangdong in front of a 5,000-strong crowd at Mong Kok Stadium
- Jorn Andersen says playing in front of same crowd at 40,000 seat Hong Kong Stadium ‘feels like an away game’
Jorn Andersen would support moving Hong Kong’s home games away from the city’s 40,000-seat stadium, after home fans created a hostile atmosphere in the more intimate surrounds of Mong Kok.
While the thousands of fans who regularly attend the city’s international matches are swallowed up in the larger venue, their presence in the 6,664-seat stadium in Kowloon created an energy the Hong Kong players visibly responded to, and that ruffled their opponents.
A 5,000-strong crowd cheered the home side on throughout Wednesday’s 2-0 win over a Guangdong XI, and with World Cup qualifiers coming up in March, Andersen said he had previously thought about making the change.
“I was thinking about it [playing at Mong Kok] some months ago, and maybe it is easier for the players to play here,” Andersen said. “They regularly play here in the league, especially the Kitchee and Eastern players [it is those clubs’ home venue].
“They know this ground better than Hong Kong Stadium, it is almost like an away game when we go to Hong Kong Stadium. You saw they like playing here, with this atmosphere, and maybe we have to think about it [playing at Mong Kok] for the future.”
The scheduling of the two-leg Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup, returning after a five-year hiatus, appeared ill-conceived at the outset, given it’s proximity to the Asian Cup and a representative team’s game against Inter Miami.
Andersen admitted he feared it could have turned out being a low-key affair, and travelled back from Qatar “expecting two or three thousand people to come”.
Several members of Hong Kong’s Asian Cup squad began the game, with one of the key players from Qatar, Philip Chan Siu-kwan, drilling an explosive 25-yard strike into the top corner after 11 minutes.
The 23-year-old trio of Sun Ming-him, Marcus Chang Hei-yin, and Max Poon Pui-hin, who scored the second goal, and Jesse Yu Joy-yin, who is 22, were all outstanding, fresh from their first major tournament experiences.
“You could see the performances after six weeks of training, and how important it is that we are physically stronger, and quicker, and have energy,” Andersen said.
“It means we can play football with high pressing, winning balls, and creating chances. We played with high-tempo, and were aggressive, that is what we want to see, and what the spectators want to see. That is football, for me.”
Andersen estimated 80 per cent of the supporters making most of the noise had been backing the team in Qatar.
“They brought that atmosphere here, and it is great to have fans like this,” Andersen said. “They pushed us a lot, it was good for the players to feel this support. If we win or lose, they are always there to support us. I love these fans.”
