In order to prepare for the upcoming World Cup Qualifier game against Bhutan, the HKFA organized a friendly game with the respectable Thailand national team on October 9th, 2015. Hong Kong coach Kin Pan-gon used this opportunity to try out most of his squad, leading to various substitutions during the game.
Nevertheless, the current gap in quality between the two teams was apparent throughout the entire game, which was dominated by a confident Thai squad. Hong Kong, on the other hand, tried to refine their “full-scale defense strategy”, that keeps relying on Jaimes McKee for occasional counter-attack attempts. Once again, the strategy almost paid off until Thailand was awarded a very controversial penalty in the 94th minute, for which Hong Kong right back Cheng King Ho cannot be blamed.
Anyway, it’s now time to fully focus on Bhutan, where Maldives almost stumbled this week, conceding 3 goals in the last 5 minutes. However, in the end the guests still won 4-3. Hong Kong will definitely need to repeat their offensive run, which was the foundation for their epic 7-0 home victory. But be aware: surrounded by a beautiful scenery, the stadium is located at around 2,900 m above sea level. And by the way, even the Bhutan national team can play their games in a venue with 25,000 seats…
