Hong Kong forward Christian Kwesi Annan missed his chance to score last night but he still walked away with a big prize - Lionel Messi's jersey. "He said I am the best player in my team, and asked to exchange jerseys with me," said Annan with a big smile. "It feels amazing. I have a lot of respect for him. I tried to challenge him and couldn't get the ball from him. He is very pacey. "Watching Messi on TV you think it's easy to take the ball from him but it is impossible [in reality]. He has quick feet," he said. The Ghanaian, who plays for Kitchee, said the jersey would be his lifelong companion. I am saving it for life. I'm not going to trade it for anything. I'm going to frame it, put it on the wall and then treasure it Christian Annan "I am saving it for life. I'm not going to trade it for anything. I'm going to frame it, put it on the wall and then treasure it," said Annan. Coach Kim Pan-gon said the team didn't do well on the counter attack, but it was a good chance for his players to learn. "Argentina didn't send on its first 11 in the first half, but the tempo was fast and their skills accurate," said Kim. "It was a great opportunity for our players to push themselves and try to compete on a world level." HKFA chief executive Mark Sutcliffe refused to speculate on the reasons for the poor ticket sales. "It is a shame. The second-best team in the world is here and we have a half-empty stadium," said Sutcliffe. "We will have a debrief with the agent and with all of our team. We will try to find out the reasons.'
