It was just the fifth time in history that Hong Kong held North Korea to a draw, and the first ever win was almost in sight. Here is our player rating for the EAFF qualifying match on November 13th, which ended 0-0.
Yapp Hung Fai: 8/10
Did brilliantly this evening especially in shot stopping. Stayed focused for the entire game.
Dani Cancela: 7/10
Made a mistake in the first half but luckily the cross into the open area was cleared by his teammates. Dani had a difficult game facing North Korea’s Kim Yong-il. For this reason, he couldn’t involve much in counter-attacks but in general, he defended well.
Festus Baise: 7.5/10
Great performance from our oldest player in defending, his concentration and experience helped a lot in hindering North Korea’s attackers.
Tsang Kam-to: 7/10
An improved performance by Tsang when compared to the last match, faced a lot of pressure in the first half but he tried hard to fight back. Good effort!
Andy Russell: 7.5/10
Continued his solid performance and was brave in both attacking and defending corners. Defended well and made some good clearances.
Huang Yang: 6.5/10
Being closed-down by North Korea’s attackers a lot in the first half but remained calm. Improved the performance after the break.
Wong Wai: 6.5/10
Was outnumbered in the midfield and couldn’t do much in attack, but he worked hard and held the ball when needed.
Xu Deshuai: 6.5/10
His shot almost led to a goal in the first half, switched position with McKee a couple of times during the match, which changed the flow of the game slightly.
Jaimes McKee: 6.5/10
Had the chance to test North Korea’s goalkeeper early in the game but hit the side netting instead. Worked hard and the switching play with Xu appeared to be a thoughtful touch by Gary White.
Paul Olivier Ngue: 5.5/10
Struggled to hold up the ball from long passes and it wasn’t difficult for North Korea’s defenders to contain him as the only target up front, was substituted by Alex in the 72nd minute.
Sandro: 6.5/10
Couldn’t do much due to the lack of possession in the first half. Created some problems to North Korea after the break, was again substituted by Tan in stoppage time.
Subs
Alex Akande: 6.5/10
His pace and agility helped the team to step up the game in the second half. Let’s hope that he could recover quickly from the knock he received.
Lee Ka-yiu: 6/10
Replaced the tired Xu Deshuai in the 82nd minute and did okay in covering and defending.
Tan Chun-lok: N/A
Same as the last match, Tan had little time to make an impression.
