Hong Kong coach Ashley Westwood, the lowest in all three defeats, is a strong team ranked 94th in FIFA
Jul 15, 2025
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This is the words of Ashley Westwood, manager of the Hong Kong A national football team.
Hong Kong lost 0-1 in the final match of the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) against China at Yongin Mir Stadium in Gyeonggi Province on the 15th. Hong Kong ended the tournament with three losses, losing to China following Japan (1:6) and South Korea (0:2).
After the game "It's definitely disappointing to lose. We don't want to make a habit of losing. We fought China with different tactics and methods. He aggressively pressured his opponents throughout the stadium. However, despite the recent decline in the rankings, China was a strong team ranked 94th in the FIFA rankings. There are more than 50 teams between us and China, even if China met us at the worst time. There were certainly still good players in China. Against such a Chinese opponent, we faced each other equally. Maybe our ball possession was higher. In terms of opportunities, we made more and faced strong performances to get results. We were given a few chances, including one-on-one, but we failed to score." Hong Kong is ranked 147th in the FIFA rankings.
He hoped to get help from the referee, but he couldn't. On the contrary, I was warned. In some cases, it may not be obtained without leaving the technical area. Anyway, this is soccer. We need to go further, learn and come back strong. We can be better. Six to seven players from the national team will compete. It's a funny situation where there are about 13 or 14 people taking a break from the Hong Kong Premier League for nearly two to three weeks. This may be Hong Kong's weakness. Our mission is to play in the Asian Games. Until then, it will definitely improve. It will be stronger. We are now in a good position. It will play in September, two consecutive games against Bangladesh in October, and a home game against Singapore in November. I hope I can participate in the Asian Games."
Coach Ashley Westwood called the tournament `a good contest for learning. They played 15th, 23rd, and 94th in the FIFA rankings. I could learn the standard level and what I needed to do to get to that level. I could see fitness, nutrition, application, and professional consciousness. Of course, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese players are professionals. I'm sure you're ready enough. It was a process of drawing a good learning curve for us."
He also talked about the referee's decision. Coach Ashley Westwood said, "When Hong Kong got the chance to play, I thought everything had to be fair. However, I'm talking about the case of staying in the smallest room in a different environment, etc. It is not clear if this is the case against Japan, South Korea and China on behalf of Hong Kong. I can't understand all the decisions about referees, but I have no choice but to follow their decisions. You know, you just have to be stronger and get results. Throughout this competition, we've done everything we can
I tried, I didn't win many games, but we learned and got stronger.'
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
