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The Blue Tigers take on Hong Kong on the 10th of June at the Kai Tak Sports Park in Kowloon in a crucial AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier.
Mahesh Gawali. (X)
The Indian National Football Team will take on Hong Kong in their AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier on the 10th of June at the Kai Tak Sports Park in Kowloon in a crucial encounter in the third round Group C qualifiers.
The Blue Tigers’ assistant coach Mahesh Gawali, who was part of India’s previous fixture against Hong Kong 16 years ago as the Indians went down 1-2 in a friendly, reflected on the game from over a decade and a half ago.
“We were trailing 0-1, and it was a very equal contest overall. The game was flowing nicely. I came on as a substitute and was playing as a left-back. We were looking for a goal. From the halfway line, I put a long ball forward, and Bhaichung finished it. But it was a pity we conceded a late goal after that,” Gawali recollected.
“There was a good crowd at the stadium. We also had some Indian support as well, which was great to see so far from home. We were doing well under Bob Houghton at that time,” the 45-year-old continued.
“Hong Kong are an improving side. But Nepal defended very well yesterday. They were compact and did not allow them to make many chances. We won against Hong Kong in the previous qualifiers in Kolkata. But now, this team is totally different with a lot of naturalised players,” the assistant coach added.
“We have to continue with the positives of the Thailand game and cut down on the errors. We created many clear chances that weren’t converted. The boys understand the mistakes and are eager to correct them. I think we can definitely get a better result here because the team environment is good,” he added.
For Manolo Marquez and his coaching staff, the first order of business after touching down in Hong Kong from Bangkok was to head straight to the Hong Kong Stadium in So Kon Po, where the hosts were taking on Nepal in a preparatory friendly just two hours later. The game ended scoreless.
Goalkeeping coach Marc Gamon, who worked in HK for two years between 2018 and 2020 at Hong Kong Premier League side Southern District, spoke about the new trend of having naturalised players in the Hong Kong national team.
“When I was working in Hong Kong, there were hardly any foreign-born players in the national team. If you are here for seven years, you can get a Hong Kong passport. So more and more foreign players want to stay in the league and get the nationality so that they can play as a local, as only six foreigners are allowed in a club here,” Gamon said.
“They are mostly Brazilian and Spanish players. One of the Brazilians in the current national team squad, Stefan Pereira, was at my club, Southern. A Spanish forward, Manolo Bleda from Valencia, who I played against a few years ago, got his Hong Kong passport and made his debut against Nepal yesterday,” he reflected.
“In terms of spectator interest, horse riding is the top sport in Hong Kong, but with football being the most popular team sport, the national team receives great support,” the Spaniard said.
“The football culture is amazing. There aren’t a lot of fans attending league games, but they come in decent numbers for the national team. They are very patriotic and shout for 90 minutes. But there are also a lot of Indians in Hong Kong, so there will be support for us too. It will be a great atmosphere on Tuesday,” Gamon signed off.
Team India went down to 0-2 to Thailand at the Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani on Wednesday in the international friendly between the sides ahead of the qualifier.
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