AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023/ Hong Kong's Coach: Team are Aware of Iran's Strength, Still Eyeing Positive Outcome on Friday

Doha, January 18 (QNA) - Coach of the Hong Kong national football team, Jorn Andersen assured the readiness of his team in Friday's match against Iran within Group C's second round of matches in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023.
Iran, the three-time title winners, lead their group standings with three points, with a goal difference from UAE, with equal points. The Hong Kong and Palestine national teams place third and fourth places, respectively, with no points.
Andersen stated in a pre-match press conference, that his team will face a strong opponent and they understand the difficulty of the upcoming match, but they still aim to play greatly as well as learn and gain experience from participating in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023.
The Iranian team is one of the contenders to win the title that Hong Kong have previously faced in their stadium. Regardless of this, they will give everything they have in order to achieve a positive outcome, he said.
Andersen, who led Hong Kong to reach the Asian Cup for the first time since 1968, praised the great vibes of the tournament, highlighting the residence and training center provided.
Hong Kong's player Helio Goncalves expressed his team's goal to achieve a positive result to continue competing in the tournament. He noted the importance of directing focus towards Friday's match against Iran due to its difficulty.
Even though they lost in their previous match, they still have other chances ahead, Goncalves said.
Ever since 1968, the Hong Kong national team has not won or even tied in any match they played against Iran in various tournaments. In a total of seven matches played between the two teams, Hong Kong only managed to score one goal, while Iran scored 18 goals. (QNA)