Hong Kong 1–0 India Player Ratings: Hong Kong Edge past the Blue Tigers After a Late Penalty Strike

The Indian National Football Team played against the Hong Kong Football Team at the newly built, fully packed Kai Tak Sports Park for a nail-biting encounter in the AFC Asian Qualifiers. The home fans came in large numbers to support their side for the inaugural match at the picturesque stadium after and their loud chants added pressure upon the visitors for the 90 minutes. The game began with vigor, and it was end-to-end action with both sides making some positive progressions minute by minute. Both teams had their share in the attack, but neither of them could find the back of the net. Both teams were solid while coming into the defence, and even though there were constant knocks from either side, none of the backline opened their doors for the opponents. Though Hong Kong had possession for a longer period in the first half, it was India that had the steering wheel while coming into the attack. Ashique got an opportunity to score the opener in the final minutes of the first half, and the player mis-hit the ball to the Indian football team's dismay.

In the second half, it was pretty much the same, and both teams tried to attack, but they ultimately failed to score on target. While connection was the problem for India, a bit of selfishness and the defensive strength of India were the reasons why Hong Kong did not find the back of the net. Liston got a brilliant chance to score but ultimately missed. In the additional time of the second half, a mistake from Vishal Kaith led to India conceding a penalty, which was ultimately scored by Hong Kong, providing them the win.

Here are the Hong Kong National Football vs Indian National Football Player Ratings.

Hong Kong Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

Yapp Hung Fai - 6/10

A small error, which could have turned costly for the hosts in the initial minutes, was properly cleared off by the keeper. Later on, the keeper was put under some serious pressure as the Indian players made some good attempts. But none of them found the target, and for this reason, the keeper was relatively having not much of a role in the first half.

Defenders

Fernando - 6.5/10

He was seen defending pretty well. But in some instances, the backline as a single unit found it hard to gain composure and defend as a group. The Indian players crafted some beautiful play, and the defence entirely succumbed to it. The only reason they were saved in the first half was that the opponents lacked finishing. In the second half, the player was seen making some speedy runs on the wings, displaying a much better performance.

Oliver Gerbig - 6.5/10

Stopped the quick attacks made by the Indian team by properly shadowing the players and not providing room for them to infiltrate through. However, as the game progressed, the three men's defence gave away a lot of space, and the visitors could have taken advantage of that. He was there in the attacking third during the set pieces and came very close to scoring the opener, but to his disappointment, it was saved by Suresh Singh.

Leon Jones - 6.5/10

Had some trouble throughout the match as Liston posed a big threat hor his side. Had to put in an extra effort to keep the player under his control. However, Liston made a mockery of the player as he was constantly making runs through the wings and providing crosses inside the box. In the second half made a crucial block off an attempt from Chhetri, which could have been a sure-shot goal.

Midfielders

Tze-Nam Yue - 6/10

He was having a great impact on the wings. Made some dribbles in the left flank and gave some good crosses. Created a moment of high tension for India as one attempt made by the player in an attempt to defend led to a high ball by Anwar Ali, which could have been a potential red card.

Shinichi Chan - 6/10

Was solid in the midfield and additionally provided support to the defenders by properly defending the wings. Cleared away and tackled some attempts made by the Blue Tigers from the right flank.

Chun-Lok Tan - 6/10

He was decent in the midfield. Stood as a barrier for the Indian players to infiltrate through. Recovered the ball multiple times in the match and supplied the ball into the attack.

Ming-Him Sun - 6/10

Kept the possession. Attacked well and provided some key passes to the attackers, which created some tensions for the opponents.

Forwards

Soares Junior Walter - 6.5/10

He was good in the first half. Made some good attempts in the attacking third. Took some shots, which, though, were blocked by the men in blue, which added some amount of trouble to them. Played clever and took a quick free kick in the dying minutes of the first half, which could have been the opener if it had not been saved on the goal line by the opponents.

Manuel Bleda Rodriguez - 5.5/10

Had the first real chance of the match, which, if he connected a bit better, could have found the back of the net. Got a good opportunity to find an opener in the second half, but his quality in finishing was bad, which made the gaffer visibly frustrated. He was tracked down by Jhingan, who further resisted his play. He was a bit selfish in the match, and this turned costly.

Raphael Merkies - 6.5/10

The player did well on the left flank and was constantly attacking throughout the first half. He was one of the primary reasons why Abhishek Singh was unable to provide many contributions in the attacks as compared to the match against Thailand. Attempted some shots, added work on the defenders, and in some instances, even the midfielders had to step in to stop the player. Surprisingly was subbed off just after the first half.

Substitutes

Awal Mahama - 6/10

He was quick but was effectively defended by the Indian players. Had some trouble crossing as he did not find his men in his attempts. Won the penalty for his team in the second half.

Michael Udebuluzor - 6/10

Cheuk Pan Ngan - NA

Yu Hei Ng - NA

Stefan Pereira - 6/10

Did not have much role in the match. Scored the penalty, giving the win for his team.

Manager

Ashley Westwood - 7/10

The coach was seen frustrated throughout the match. However, the coach stuck to his tactics and subbed off the key players as his priority was to score. This helped the team find the much-wanted win.

Indian National Football Team Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

Vishal Kaith - 6.5/10

The player was having a relatively bad time on national duty for a while, and it felt like the player did not have confidence. However, in this match, he rewrote this and proved why the player is a pivotal part of the team. Held hands during the multiple attempts made by the hosts. Well contained and well kept in all the shots taken by the hosts. However, as everything seemed fine, he conceded a penalty, which was scored by the opponents, and this won them the game.

Defenders

Abhishek Singh - 6/10

Had the space to accelerate forward in the left flank, and he properly did so. However, in comparison to the previous match, his attacking presence was much less, and the player was much focused on the defence. Did well to resist Junior from making his moves in the final third.

Anwar Ali - 6.5/10

He was a bit shaky at the start of the game, and the player was seen gifting possession and finding it difficult to hold the ball in some dangerous places. However, later on in the game, he did some brilliant defending and made some key tackles to keep the opponents silent. Made some good challenges to keep Junior silent in the flanks.

Sandesh Jhingan - 6.5/10

Stood like a wall and kept his fortress safe. Was there to block the attempts made by the opponents, which came as a result of the minor errors made in the backline. The player added additional trouble to the opponents as he was seen in the attacking third on multiple occasions, as a tall man, to convert the attempts.

Asish Rai - 5.5/10

Was very alert and cleared the ball multiple times to keep the danger away. Moved higher up the flanks and had a much more attacking stance. However, once Awal Mahama came in the second half and made some speedy runs, Asish had to step down a bit to focus more on the defensive part. It felt somewhere that the player found it difficult to stop Awal, but the support from Suresh meant that the player did not have a hectic day.

Midfielders

Suresh Singh Wangjam - 6.5/10

He was very good in the match. Closed down the space whenever the opponents made some moves in the final third. Contributed more to the defence than attack. In the final minutes of the first half, the player made a goal-line save to keep the deadlock. When Awal came in as a fresh leg, Suresh was the first one to take the initiative to limit the scope of the player. Possibly the best player for India; however, his team was unlucky at the end of the day.

Apuia - 6/10

He was decent in the midfield. Won some duels, made some interceptions, and had a good share in winning back the possession in the midfield. Though his name was not celebrated throughout the match, his role was pivotal in the midfield.

Liston Colaco - 5.5/10

Did some clear defending and slowed the game down when the opponents were having a slight edge in the match. Played clever and won some fouls in the attacking half. Some of the long shots taken by the player kept the opponent keeper engaged and added to his work. Made a beautiful run in the left flank and gave a solid cross to Ashique, which, to his dismay, did not find the back of the net. However, in the second half, he skied away multiple attempts that could have been a goal if channelised properly.

Brandon Fernandes - 6/10

He was seen pressing well and did everything possible he could to win the ball. Though the team won some free kicks, his shots in some instances were a bit unsteady, and he should have done better. Regained possession at key areas, which allowed the Blue Tigers to craft speedy counters.

Lalianzuala Chhangte - 6.5/10

Had a decent first half. Neither extraordinary nor terrible. Had the pace, but in the final third, his contributions were minimal. However, in the second half, the player entered the pitch with increased energy and was pretty good in the attack. Was the fox in the box? Made some good runs in the box.

Forward

Ashique Kuruniyan - 5.5/10

Pressed aggressively in the first touches. Sprinted very well multiple times to win back the ball and regain possession. Got a great chance to find the opener, but unfortunately, the player missed the goal as he failed to properly connect with it. Later, the player got some chances to score, and he did everything except score. Was subbed off after an injury.

Substitutes

Sunil Chhetri - 6/10

Came in the second half and distributed some lethal plays and gave the instant impact that one would expect from a substitute.

Mahesh Singh - 6/10

Boris Singh - NA

Rahul Bheke - NA

Manager

Manolo Marquez - 4/10

Had a quality preparation time before coming into this match, and the gaffer properly deployed his tactics. However, the players did not manage to properly capitalise on that. Ultimately had to succumb to the opponents.