Hong Kong see off Mauritius for third successive win after more Camargo heroics

Hong Kong beat 10-man Mauritius 1-0 at Mong Kok Stadium on Tuesday to win a third straight game for the first time in eight years.

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In 2016, then head coach Kim Pan-gon’s Hong Kong stretched their victorious streak to five matches.

And after watching his increasingly fluent and expansive team see off the niggly Mauritians, incumbent Ashley Westwood must fancy his chances of matching, or surpassing, the South Korean’s achievement.

Hong Kong play Mongolia and Chinese Taipei in East Asian Football Federation Championship qualifiers next month and, on this evidence, they should boast too much speed, versatility and industry for sides ranked Nos 188 and 168 in the world, respectively.

Against No 178 team Mauritius, Westwood’s team were far from flawless. Some passes went astray at decisive moments, and the Englishman was visibly annoyed following a number of spurned chances. They were hanging on at the end.

The Hong Kong fans made themselves heard inside Mong Kok Stadium. Photo: Edmond So

On occasion, the system that had Fernando and, later, Oliver Gerbig, flexing between defence and midfield left Hong Kong vulnerable at the back. On eight minutes, Yapp Hung-fai dashed out to save at the feet of Quentin Lalsing, after the 17-year-old striker was set free by Jeremy Villeneuve’s slide-rule pass.

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