Hong Kong fans aim ire at head coach Ashley Westwood after poor draw with Nepal
Chants of ‘Westwood out’ greet Englishman after side fails to score against limited opposition at Hong Kong Stadium
Hong Kong drew a heated friendly 0-0 with 10-man Nepal on Thursday, extending their record unbeaten run to nine matches – although the best that could be said for the home side’s performance was that they did not lose.
While the hosts were largely dominant, head coach Ashley Westwood was booed by the home supporters before and after the game, and the Englishman will be left to ponder his team’s inability to break down the world’s No 175-ranked team.
India will provide much sterner opposition for next Tuesday’s Asian Cup qualifier at Kai Tak Stadium.
Perhaps a number of fans were saving themselves for that box-office clash, because just 6,092 turned up at Hong Kong Stadium, and there was a sizeable Nepal contigent in that number.
Rather than the expected phoney war, ahead of more important business for both teams, this was a competitive and watchable encounter.
It was not just opponents getting stuck into each other, either. After Stefan Pereira wastefully lifted over a 23rd-minute free-lick, Juninho aimed a verbal volley towards his teammate, who returned in kind.