AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers Review - New Coach on Board, the Inevitable Setback, and the Stars in Making

By HK Kickers
2 October 2024

The last time Hong Kong participated in the AFC U20 Asian Cup was in 1977, at that time the competition was still named the AFC Youth Championship. The Hong Kong young boys were utterly beaten by Japan and Bahrain in the group stage held in Iran (9 months before the Islamic Revolution led by Khomeini). Since then, the Asian youth competition has undergone drastic changes. A qualification stage was added for the tournament since the 1980 edition, and it was rebranded from under-19 to under-20 starting from 2023 while serving as a qualification tournament for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. 

Despite all these changes in 47 years, Hong Kong has yet to make a fresh appearance in the final round of the U-19 or U-20 tournament. In fact, they were thrashed by Vietnam and Indonesia last time they were in the U-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers, and failed to secure a point against Timor-Leste, a team previously considered inferior to Hong Kong. It is fair to say that to many HK football fans, this was the low point in Hong Kong youth football.

2 years after the setback, the Hong Kong U-20 team are back to the tournament qualifiers, facing Jordan, Qatar and Singapore in Group J. 

In charge of the team is Darren Arnott. His appointment, a rather quiet one without an official announcement, was a coup for Hong Kong football. Serving as the assistant for Norwegian side Strømsgodset and Leeds United Under-18 coach, a coach of his calibre is expected to initiate positive changes for the local young boys. It is difficult to see the successive appointments of English coaching staff, like John Morling (ex-Brighton academy director), Ashley Westwood (ex-Afghanistan NT head coach, which ended abruptly on a sour note), and now Arnott as sheer coincidence though.

The final squad consists of talents from local clubs (academies) and several up-and-coming youngsters playing abroad. Osmond Chan (DM), Jeremy Tsang (LB), and Ho Tung-lam (LW) are studying in the US while appearing for their respective varsity soccer team in the NCAA tournament; the first two would go on starting every game of the qualifying stage. Sergio Chiu Ching-yu (AM) left Rangers and joined Thai League 3 side BFB Pattaya City on loan this season, while Yuen Chun-him (AM) switched from local giant Kitchee to Spanish club CF Amposta in a similar fashion. 

The leading figure of these overseas-based youngsters, however, is undoubtedly Anthony Pinto (RW). Spent 5 years in Bolton Wanderers academy and currently a member of Loughborough University Football, the Portuguese-HK winger had already made an appearance for the senior HK team, scoring on his debut against mighty Iran in front of ten thousand fans in Hong Kong Stadium.

25 September - Hong Kong 0-7 Jordan

The first qualifying fixture for the Hong Kong young boys was a catastrophe. 

Coach Arnott adopted a 5-defender formation to solidify the back. His conservative approach seemed to be effective for the first 35 minutes as the team fended off waves of Jordanian attack and created occasional goalscoring opportunities from set pieces. All of these good signs vanished after the team conceded the first goal at minute 37, everything went wrong since then. 

The defensive players were shaky and unmotivated in the second half. They went on to commit fatal mistakes, especially the fifth goal conceded, where Lam Chin-yu (CB, Eastern)'s attempt to clear the ball from the goal line hit the Jordanian player in front of him. An easy goal every attacking player has dreamt of. There would be a lot of judgments and finger-pointings towards the keeper, Tuscany Shek (Kitchee), and the starting defenders such as Lam Ho-hei (RCB, HKFC) and Lam Chin-yu, but that was an abysmal defensive performance which every player should shoulder part of the responsibility. 

On a slightly more positive note, Pinto and Sergio Chiu showcased their skills during the sporadic attacking plays, prolonging the possession, but that was not sufficient to help the team escape from an inevitable defeat. It was indubitably a night to forget.

27 September - Hong Kong 0-2 Qatar

Before the qualifiers, Qatar was expected to be the best team in the group by the coaching team and players within the Hong Kong camp. Ultimately Qatar took the top spot of the group and advanced to the final round, so the prediction seems to be a correct one. With an outright defeat in mind, the fans could not be more pessimistic about the second fixture. Arnott stuck to the 5-at-the-back formation, but made several adjustments to the lineup, allowing fresh faces such as Poon Sheung-hei (GK, Lee Man), Yuen Chun-him, and Matthew Slattery (FW, Kitchee) to start.

The two games shared the same plot: Solid defense from Hong Kong in the first half which got shaky in the second half, and was overpowered by the opponents. Differently, the young boys held to a draw for the first 45 minutes, which served as a boost to their confidence. 

Despite Hong Kong losing the first goal within minutes into the second half, the game did not turn into a demolition. The second goal from the host was a deflection from a free kick by Ibrahim Al-Hassan, which hit probably the most disorganized wall you have seen. Poon was caught by the camera shot, looking distraught and angered. This distinctively embodies his style of playing - assertive, loud, loving to command the defensive players. Vastly different from Shek, who is a year younger than his counterpart. Poon's teammate in Lee Man, Jim Ho-chun (CB), also had an inspiring display. He showed composure and led the defense as the centre of the 3 centrebacks, making crucial tackles within the box as well.

At the end of the day, it was still a defeat and the team had effectively been eliminated by this point, but at least the lads could hold their heads up after a much improved defensive performance.

29 September - Hong Kong 2-0 Singapore

Eventually, it was time for the attackers to shine.

The first 20 minutes or so had been a stalemate between Hong Kong and Singapore. While the defenders encountered the immense threat from Singapore's no.9 Kian Ghadessy, the team in general remained disciplined and committed to regular pressing up front.

The tables were turned at the 26th minute, when Ho Tung-lam (WilmU Wildcats) attempted a cross from the left flank, for Pinto to come from behind and finish a simple tap-in.

Hong Kong did not fully control the game after scoring the first goal, but they began to comfortably stay at the back and waited for counter chances to attack the hollow spaces left by Singaporean defenders. It might be a controversial take by Arnott as it left probably too much time and space for the opponents to control possession, but the second goal which came 3 minutes into the second half seemed to justify his approach. 

It was started from a press in the final third, where Yeung Cheuk-kwan (AM, Kitchee) successfully won back the possession near the penalty arc. He immediately dished the ball to Ho Tung-lam who had been vigorous throughout the game. Ho tried his luck with a left-foot shot, which did not seem to be an extremely threatening one, but the Singaporean keeper allowed the ball to slide into the net from the gap under his arm.

A win that was not in the most splendid fashion, but it was a hard-earned victory, a consolation to the players (if they needed it), and a testament to the development of our youngsters.

Stars in making

Out of the rather inexperienced and nervous defensive line, Jeremy Tsang (Vermont Catamounts) really stood out. The left-back had started in all three games and played in every minute. He did not show a sign of weariness, timing his tackles perfectly and making runs into the penalty area whenever possible, especially during the last fixture vs Singapore. 

Two youngsters from Lee Man, Poon Sheung-hei and Jim Ho-chun, had also made a name for themselves with their valiant defensive performances. Yuen and Sergio Chiu utilised their brief yet beneficial experience of playing abroad to offer creativity and mobility in the midfield. 

And of course, Pinto had proved why he was selected by the senior team's head coach before everyone else. He was arguably a level above his teammates in terms of ball control and attacking movements. There is still a lot to be polished for his defensive skills, but his contribution to the final third was invaluable.

It would have been nice to see more actions from some local-based talents in the squad, such as Vito Wong (winger, Rangers) and Yeung Tung-ki (CM, Eastern). Also bear in mind that this U20 team has excluded some players who would arguably be among the best in the age group and play more influential roles. Ng Yu-hei (LW, Eastern) and Tim Chow (CB/RB, Lee Man) are gaining vital exposure in ACL2, while Lee Ching (CM, Rangers) is securing his status as an HKPL regular at the age of 17.

It doesn't mean that the boys would have achieved qualification against the odds if these players were in Qatar as well, but it reminds us of how the foundations have been laid, and the work that has to be done to foster these raw talents into a generation of stars. High levels of playing time and competitiveness will be key.