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AFC Asian Cup: Hong Kong coach Jorn Andersen fumes over controversial refereeing decisions, blasts UAE players
- Philip Chan scores Hong Kong’s first goal at tournament since 1968, but team falls to 3-1 defeat
- Andersen weighing up changes for Iran meeting, says excluded trio ‘a little bit injured’
Jorn Andersen slammed the inconsistency of match officials after his Hong Kong side were on the wrong end of a series of controversial decisions in their AFC Asian Cup finals defeat by the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
Playing in the tournament for the first time since 1968, Hong Kong competed ferociously against the 2015 and 2019 semi-finalists, but their efforts were undermined by a trio of VAR interventions.
The UAE were awarded two penalties in the 3-1 win at Khalifa International Stadium, while a late Michael Udebuluzor strike was disallowed for handball.
“I am very proud of the team, we played a great match … with high energy and high pressing, and created a lot of possibilities,” Andersen said. “But we were very unlucky, in European football those penalties would never be given.
“Everybody can see the situation … these penalties, they do not give next time, and penalties they did not give, they will next time. Then we score a goal, and they say Michael touched the ball with his hand. But we have to forget it.”
Despite the result, Hong Kong, the lowest ranked team in Qatar, answered the question over whether they would be suffocated by nerves with the eyes of the continent on them.
They had given as good as they got when the VAR asked referee Muhammad Taqi to watch a super-slow motion replay of the ball striking Oliver Gerbig’s arm, as the defender challenged Sultan Adil.
Gerbig, who was excellent all evening, could not have put his arm anywhere else, but was still adjudged to have handled the ball. Adil scored the 34th-minute penalty, but Hong Kong hit back shortly after half-time when Philip Chan Siu-kwan, another outstanding performer, swept home an Everton Camargo cross.
It was the 1,000th goal in Asian Cup finals history, and Hong Kong’s first since Li Kwok-keung scored against China in Iran 54 years ago.
Still, UAE shifted through the gears and needed only three minutes to restore their lead, left-back Zayed Sultan applying the easy finish following a bout of sustained pressure.
“I am very happy to have Philip in the team, and he was in the right place, at the right time,” Andersen said. “But I was disappointed to concede a few minutes later. We must learn that when we come back, we have to be more organised and concentrated.”
Hong Kong were not felled by that body blow and, with forwards Udebuluzor and Stefan Pereira on from the bench, pushed for an equaliser. Their hopes were extinguished deep into time added on, when the VAR told referee Taqi to study footage of Yahya al-Ghassani tumbling over Shinichi Chan’s foot.
Al-Ghassani scored from the spot, then when Udebuluzor thought he had given Hong Kong a flicker of hope by scoring with the 10 minutes of added time almost up, it was ruled out because the ball brushed his arm when he bounced out of a challenge.
Andersen “did not want to comment” on whether he felt officials found it easy to rule against Hong Kong, given their lowly status, but he aimed a blast at the UAE players he believed operated on the margins of fair play.
“We took a big step, UAE are a long way in front of us in the rankings, and they have high-quality players,” Andersen said.
“But we have had problems against these teams, with players falling down easily for penalties and free-kicks. I do not like this playing style, and I am not happy to see it.
“I am used to European football, it is hard, it is correct, we do not fall down when we are touched a little bit.”
Andersen did not rule out changes for the clash with Iran on Friday, and said Helio Goncalves, Juninho and Sean Tse Ka-keung, who were all left out of Sunday’s squad, were “a little bit injured … we have to wait to see if they can be ready for the next match”.
Whoever plays, Andersen said his team’s attacking style was here to stay.
“Hong Kong fans like it when they see us trying to attack for 90 minutes,” Andersen said. “From our aggression and pressing, we want to score goals and win games, that is the next step.
“Maybe we will have the luck against Iran, and get the penalties that are not penalties.”
Jorn Andersen slammed the inconsistency of match officials after his Hong Kong side were on the wrong end of a series of controversial decisions in their AFC Asian Cup finals defeat by the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
Playing in the tournament for the first time since 1968, Hong Kong competed ferociously against the 2015 and 2019 semi-finalists, but their efforts were undermined by a trio of VAR interventions.
The UAE were awarded two penalties in the 3-1 win at Khalifa International Stadium, while a late Michael Udebuluzor strike was disallowed for handball.
“I am very proud of the team, we played a great match … with high energy and high pressing, and created a lot of possibilities,” Andersen said. “But we were very unlucky, in European football those penalties would never be given.
“Everybody can see the situation … these penalties, they do not give next time, and penalties they did not give, they will next time. Then we score a goal, and they say Michael touched the ball with his hand. But we have to forget it.”
Despite the result, Hong Kong, the lowest ranked team in Qatar, answered the question over whether they would be suffocated by nerves with the eyes of the continent on them.
They had given as good as they got when the VAR asked referee Muhammad Taqi to watch a super-slow motion replay of the ball striking Oliver Gerbig’s arm, as the defender challenged Sultan Adil.
Gerbig, who was excellent all evening, could not have put his arm anywhere else, but was still adjudged to have handled the ball. Adil scored the 34th-minute penalty, but Hong Kong hit back shortly after half-time when Philip Chan Siu-kwan, another outstanding performer, swept home an Everton Camargo cross.
It was the 1,000th goal in Asian Cup finals history, and Hong Kong’s first since Li Kwok-keung scored against China in Iran 54 years ago.
Still, UAE shifted through the gears and needed only three minutes to restore their lead, left-back Zayed Sultan applying the easy finish following a bout of sustained pressure.
“I am very happy to have Philip in the team, and he was in the right place, at the right time,” Andersen said. “But I was disappointed to concede a few minutes later. We must learn that when we come back, we have to be more organised and concentrated.”
Hong Kong were not felled by that body blow and, with forwards Udebuluzor and Stefan Pereira on from the bench, pushed for an equaliser. Their hopes were extinguished deep into time added on, when the VAR told referee Taqi to study footage of Yahya al-Ghassani tumbling over Shinichi Chan’s foot.
Al-Ghassani scored from the spot, then when Udebuluzor thought he had given Hong Kong a flicker of hope by scoring with the 10 minutes of added time almost up, it was ruled out because the ball brushed his arm when he bounced out of a challenge.
Andersen “did not want to comment” on whether he felt officials found it easy to rule against Hong Kong, given their lowly status, but he aimed a blast at the UAE players he believed operated on the margins of fair play.
“We took a big step, UAE are a long way in front of us in the rankings, and they have high-quality players,” Andersen said.
“But we have had problems against these teams, with players falling down easily for penalties and free-kicks. I do not like this playing style, and I am not happy to see it.
“I am used to European football, it is hard, it is correct, we do not fall down when we are touched a little bit.”
Andersen did not rule out changes for the clash with Iran on Friday, and said Helio Goncalves, Juninho and Sean Tse Ka-keung, who were all left out of Sunday’s squad, were “a little bit injured … we have to wait to see if they can be ready for the next match”.
Whoever plays, Andersen said his team’s attacking style was here to stay.
“Hong Kong fans like it when they see us trying to attack for 90 minutes,” Andersen said. “From our aggression and pressing, we want to score goals and win games, that is the next step.
“Maybe we will have the luck against Iran, and get the penalties that are not penalties.”