Kathmandu, May 31 – Ranked at number 153 in the FIFA Men's World Rankings, Hong Kong may pose an unexpected challenge for Nepal. Interestingly, this team gave headaches even to Manchester United, winners of the Premier League 13 times, during the club’s post-season tour in Asia.
On Friday, at the Hong Kong Stadium, Manchester United overturned their hosts with a final score of 3-1. Interestingly, Hong Kong managed to score first.
Throughout the match, Hong Kong focused on defense and capitalized on errors made by United. Their efforts paid off in the 19th minute when Juninho converted their initial attempt on target into a goal. Juninho managed to score past Tom Heaton near the posts.
It wasn’t an underwhelming team from Manchester United that Hong Kong faced. Ruben Amorim fielded Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Alejandro Garnacho, and Rasmus Hojlung in the starting lineup. Later in the game, Mason Mount, Amad Diallo, Manuel Ugarte, and Kobbie Mainoo were brought on as substitutes.
Substitute player Chido Obi provided United with some respite when he scored in the 50th minute. Later, he sealed the turnaround by netting his and their second goal in the 82nd minute. As the match approached its conclusion following 90 minutes of regular play, Ayden Heaven extended the lead to 3-1 during the added injury time.
This marked Hong Kong's first defeat following an undefeated streak of eight games, which included seven victories and one tie. Since their 3-0 victory against Cambodia on October 15, 2024, they remained untouched until United intervened.
After playing against the ASEAN All-Stars at Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 28, Manchester United traveled to Hong Kong. The team, managed by Amorim, concluded their Premier League season in 15th place and missed out on qualifying for the Champions League following their loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final. Their tour of Asia was aimed at strengthening connections with supporters across the continent.
The last time United competed in this area was way back in 2013 when they beat the home team Kitchee with a score of 5-2 at the Hong Kong Stadium.
At present, Hong Kong’s coach is Ashley Westwood, who began his playing career at Manchester United's Academy. He later played for clubs such as Bradford City, Sheffield Wednesday, and Wrexham. After retiring from professional football, Westwood took charge of various teams within both India’s and Afghanistan’s national squads.
On June 10, Westwood’s squad will go up against India in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Likewise, Nepal will compete with Laos on the same day for this tournament. Prior to these Asian Cup qualifier matches, however, Nepal and Hong Kong have scheduled an international friendly game at the same location where Manchester United secured victory last Friday.
Among the 37-player initial roster announced by the Hong Kong Football Association on May 12 for the match against Nepal and the qualifying rounds with India, were the athletes representing Hong Kong.