Asian Cup: Hong Kong huff and puff their way past India, but attacking questions remain

For 320 minutes Hong Kong had huffed and puffed and failed to blow their way to a goal. Against Macau, Singapore, Nepal, and for 90 minutes on Tuesday India, an honest but largely impotent attack toiled in vain to find a way through.

Then goalkeeper Vishal Kaith’s reckless challenge sent Michael Udebuluzor crashing to the turf, Stefan Pereira sort of ran up the spot, and a penalty deep into injury time ended a scrappy affair that had threatened to send 42,000 fans home disappointed.

And while not quite the sell-out the Football Association of Hong Kong, China, had trumpeted so loudly just 24 hours earlier, it was still an atmosphere almost alien to the game in the city, other than when big teams from further afield are involved.

Still, the largest audience to yet grace Kai Tak Stadium for a sporting event was raucous from the word go, and if enthusiasm and non-stop singing translated into goals then their side would have won handily.

Sadly, the performance on the pitch did not match the energy off it, despite what Hong Kong head coach Ashley Westwood had to say. Delighted he may have been, but aside from a Kaith flying save that denied Fernando with little more than an hour gone, his side had not looked like scoring.

Udebuluzor said afterwards that “he knew it [the collision] would hurt, but I went anyway”. He also had some words for the fans who have been critical of him in the past. Social media was full of “sorry Michael” comments in the aftermath, not that he cares.