Hong Kong's rocket man brought crashing back to earth by Japan, but boosted by late goal
Advertisement
Chan, who was born in Japan but has grown into Hong Kong's most accomplished player at the age of 22, was as culpable as any of his teammates in going 5-0 behind after 26 minutes.
The left-back, however, said a more competitive second-half display had laid the platform for another formidable test on Friday, against East Asian Football Championship hosts South Korea.
Matt Orr netted a consolation before Japan completed the 6-1 rout deep into stoppage time.
'It takes some courage to come out and fight knowing the game has gone,' Chan said. 'At half-time, we set some small targets: to score against a better side and to not concede again.
Advertisement
'We almost achieved both objectives. It's a good match for us to know where we need to improve and how to prepare for these games in future. The result was disappointing, but it reflected the difference between us and the top Asian teams.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
East Asian Championship: China lose to Japan, face Hong Kong wooden spoon fight
Japan set up a final-day East Asian Football Championship title shoot-out with South Korea, after they beat China 2-0 in Seoul on Saturday. Advertisement In a mirror image of the past two editions, in 2019 and 2022, Hong Kong will fight the Chinese to avoid the ignominy of claiming the tournament's wooden spoon. And while hopes have been high of a first Hong Kong victory in 40 years, China were more organised, aggressive and ambitious against Japan than in their 3-0 loss to the Koreans five days earlier. Six minutes after they fell behind to Mao Hosoya's early strike, China had a golden chance to level. A slightly fortunate ricochet off his own boot sent Zhang Yuning clean through, but the striker's low shot was too close to Tomoki Hayakawa in goal. Wei Shihao tamely side-footed the rebound wide. Japan had made no such mistake when their chance fell, and after Gao Tianyi lost possession in midfield, early in the 11th minute, the next China player to touch the ball was goalkeeper Yan Junling, when he picked it out of his net roughly 40 seconds later. 01:30 Cristiano Ronaldo museum opens in Hong Kong Cristiano Ronaldo museum opens in Hong Kong Satoshi Tanaka rattled the final pass into Hosoya, who had his back to goal on the edge of the area. The centre-forward turned and escaped debutant China defender Liu Haofan in one movement, before unleashing a full-blooded shot across Yan and into the left corner.
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Title races go down to the wire as Derek Leung looks to strike a Tony Cruz Award blow
Derek Leung still has a chance to win the Tony Cruz Award. Photos: Kenneth Chan It is now or never for Derek Leung Ka-chun as he looks to Beauty Joy to be the catalyst to spark his fading Tony Cruz Award hopes back to life at Sha Tin on Sunday. The 36-year-old is in a three-way shoot-out for the local riders' premiership, with Matthew Poon Ming-fai leading the way on 36 and Matthew Chadwick sitting second on 34. Leung has two meetings to claw back three winners to draw level with Poon, with his Sunday book of eight rides looking the strongest of the trio. He rides Beauty Joy in the feature Class One Hong Kong Racehorse Owners Association Trophy (1,600m), with the Tony Cruz-trained eight-year-old looking to back up a last-start win in the Group Three Premier Plate (1,800m). The old boy, Beauty Joy! 🫡 Tony Cruz's 8YO wins the season's final Group race, the G3 Premier Plate, with @brentonavdulla at Sha Tin... @Beautystablehk #SummerSeries | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) June 22, 2025 Ridden that day by Brenton Avdulla, he surged down the middle of the track and went from almost last to first, beating several reopposing horses including last year's winner Chancheng Glory. Leung also rides Rainbow Seven, who has finished in the top three in all of his racecourse starts, in the Class Four Victory Marvel Handicap (1,200m), and Smart Fat Cat, who has surged home in both his starts so far and is a leading chance in the Class Four Medic Kingdom Handicap (1,400m). Of his rivals, Poon's best chance comes in the form of debut winner Voyage Boss, who had excuses last start and is a big shout in the Class Four Medic Kingdom Handicap (1,400m), while Chadwick will be hoping a rejuvenated Devas Twelve can provide him with a winner in the Class Four Pingwu Spark Handicap (1,400m). John Size holds all the aces in the trainers' premiership race. HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. Heading into Sha Tin, John Size holds a likely insurmountable six-win lead over David Hayes in the trainers' premiership race, with both holding leading chances in many of Sunday's races. Size has a trio in the feature Hong Kong Racehorse Owners Association Trophy thanks to Beauty Eternal, Bundle Award and Young Champion, though Mickley – who was second in the Class Two Hong Kong Reunification Cup (1,400m) – looks to be his best chance on the card down in grade for the Class Three Sight Winner Handicap (1,600m). Awesome Treasure, armed with Britney Wong Po-ni's 10lb claim, looks to be Hayes' best chance in the Class Four Big Profit Handicap (1,200m) from a good draw in stall five.
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong defender targets historic win to break 40-year drought against China
Leon Jones has urged Hong Kong to finish their East Asian Championship campaign in historic style when they meet China on Tuesday. Hong Kong were rigid and determined in a 2-0 loss to hosts South Korea on Friday, three days after failing to do themselves justice in a heavy 6-1 defeat by Japan. Centre-back Jones credited a change of structure for 'making us more competitive' and said a first meaningful meeting with the Chinese since 2022 was 'a chance, against good opposition, to show what we can do'. Hong Kong beat China 2-1 in a behind-closed-doors friendly on New Year's Day last year, but May 19 marked the 40th anniversary of the city team's only competitive success against their mainland rivals: a 2-1 World Cup qualifying win in Beijing. 'A lot of people feel strongly about the Hong Kong team, and China is a big derby game; a big rivalry,' Jones said. Former Scotland youth international Leon Jones strides forward during Hong Kong's 2-0 loss to South Korea. Photo: HKFA 'I know it means a lot to our travelling support, and to the fans back in Hong Kong.
