Hong Kong off to a shaky start as they draw with Cambodia in World Cup opener
- Paatelainen’s charges almost suffer an embarrassing loss against a mainly under-23 side in Phnom Penh
- Cambodia’s 17-year-old substitute forward comes agonisingly close to finding the winner but is denied by the post
Hong Kong got off to a shaky start in their Asian World Cup qualifiers, drawing 1-1 against a mainly under-23 Cambodia side in Phnom Penh on Thursday night.
Hong Kong coach Mixu Paatelainen was hoping for a rip-roaring start to the campaign – they have never lost to minnows Cambodia in five previous encounters – but they can count themselves lucky to have finished with a point in their group C opener played before a capacity 50,000 crowd at the National Olympic Stadium.
Seventeen-year-old substitute forward Sieng Chanthea almost scored the winner for the hosts in the 74th minute, his curling right-footed shot hitting the upright to spare the blushes for Hong Kong, who lacked punch and created few chances after the break.
Cambodia looked the more enterprising side in the second half as they pushed hard for the winner, which didn’t come for their passionate fans and for their manager, Japan World Cup legend Keisuke Honda.
Paatelainen said he wasn’t satisfied with the result but was happy that his charges had fought hard.