Hong Kong’s footballers ready for first ever fixture in Europe, expect ‘big challenge’
The Hong Kong players are anticipating ‘a lot of contact and a lot of running’ in their first match outside Asia since 1992
Juninho said he was anticipating a “big experience” when Hong Kong play their first international fixture in Europe against Liechtenstein on Thursday.
The game at Vaduz’s low-slung Rheinpark Stadion will mark the first time Hong Kong have played outside Asian Football Confederation territory since a 3-1 loss to Canada in June 1992.
For forward Juninho, the fixture represents an opportunity to ignite a Hong Kong career that stalled at the gates when he was downed by a thigh injury soon after acquiring his passport in December last year.
He lasted only the opening 45 minutes of his debut, the New Year’s Day 2-1 friendly victory over China, and figured only once, from the bench, in the subsequent AFC Asian Cup finals.
However, Juninho has started Hong Kong’s past six matches. During last month’s international break, he scored his first representative team goal in a 3-0 win over Solomon Islands that was a first step towards Hong Kong reversing their slide down the Fifa global rankings.