I participated in the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2025™ Qualifiers as the Head Coach of the U-16 Hong Kong, China National Team at the end of October 2024. This was a very important qualifier for the entire Hong Kong, China youth category, as it was a chance for us to show ourselves and those around us whether we had improved since the previous edition in 2022, when we failed to win a single match. We were drawn in a tough group with IR Iran, Jordan (host of the group), Syria and DPR Korea.

After holding training camps in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, we arrived in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on 17 October. The clear blue skies and cool temperatures left a lasting impression on all of us, as this was the first time the players and staff had visited Jordan.

We lost our first two matches by large margins, losing 2-8 to DPR Korea and 1-7 to IR Iran. However, against IR Iran in particular, we were able to apply collective pressure to gain possession and break down our opponents' defence, resulting in over 10 shooting opportunities. The goals we conceded highlighted the excellent individual skills of our opponents, and after careful analysis, our team’s problems turned out to be something that could be easily rectified. Nonetheless, the game against IR Iran allowed the players to realise that there were aspects of their football that were effective against even the top teams in Asia.

However, two successive defeats have taken a heavy toll on the players. At such a time, I can only express my gratitude to the staff for pulling together to support the team, and to the technical director of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China Limited, for continuing to send out positive messages.

Our third match was against the host member association, Jordan. We scored two goals early in the first half, one from a corner kick and the other from a well-coordinated play. In defence, our goalkeeper and defenders played well together and showed great tenacity to keep our opponents at bay. With the team conceding only a single goal from the penalty spot, we won 2-1 to record our first-ever victory over a Middle Eastern country in an official match.

The final match against Syria was another close match, with the first half ending 0-0. Despite conceding a goal in the 64th minute, we equalised a minute later and scored the winning goal in the 88th minute to secure a 2-1 victory for the second match in a row. Although we failed to qualify for the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2025™, we managed to finish third in our group with six points.

This is a significant achievement for Hong Kong, China. For us staff who have been involved with the team since the start two years ago, we could really feel that the concept of “giving our all, as a team, with courage” and the style of play that has evolved from it are proving effective. This result has undoubtedly lit a beacon of hope for us to progress to the next stage.

The team has continued to improve with each training camp and the two trips to Japan this year have been particularly valuable. I would like to thank the JFA, J-Village, Tottori Football Association and all the other members of the Japanese football family who supported us during our time there. To see everyone representing Japan in such a positive way made me feel very proud.