Cangzhou hand 10-man Beijing surprise loss in CSL opener
HONG KONG : Beijing Guoan slipped to a surprise 2-1 defeat by Cangzhou Mighty Lions on Sunday in their Chinese Super League opener after playing most of the second half with 10 men.
Hong Kong Sport News
AFC Asian Cup qualifiers: Local players Pritam Kotal, Subhasish Bose feel 'VYBK atmosphere will be a big boost'
AFC Asian Cup final-round qualifiers at a packed Salt Lake Stadium will be a "big boost" for the Indian football team, feel Pritam Kotal and Subhasish Bose, the Bule Tigers' two local players. India have matches scheduled on June 8, 11, and 14. "Kolkata is the mecca of Indian football. The fans here are great. So many clubs have dedicated fans here, and the great thing is that they all come together to cheer for India when we play as a nation in this city," said Bose. "I hope there is a lot of noise from the stands. That will boost all of us. From our end, we need to pay them back with a qualification for the AFC Asian Cup." The last time the Blue Tigers played here was in 2019, and Kotal said the team can once again feel the home advantage.
You make massive difference, please come and support us: Sunil Chhetri to fans
Sunil Chhetri once again appealed to the fans to throng the stadium in large numbers during their upcoming Asian Cup Qualifiers beginning on June 8. It was during the Inter-Continental Cup in Mumbai 2018, Chhetri made an emotional appeal to fans on social media ahead of their match against Kenya. The next day a packed Mumbai Football Arena (MFA) witnessed Chhetri and Co. defeat Kenya 3-0. Back at the football-crazy Kolkata for their Asian Cup qualifiers, Chhetri, who will complete 17 years of International football on June 12, said the fans can make a "massive difference" at the 70,000-capacity Salt Lake Stadium.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says league lost 'hundreds of millions' of dollars after fallout with China
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Jadson strikes to earn defending champions Shandong winning start
HONG KONG : Defending champions Shandong Taishan eked out a 1-0 win over newly promoted Zhejiang FC in Haikou as the new Chinese Super League season kicked off on Friday.
Every draw is tricky, will have to be 'respectful and ruthless' against opponents: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu does not want to belittle the lower-ranked opponents in the upcoming final round of the Asian Cup qualifiers and said the hosts have to be "respectful as well as ruthless" when they kick off their campaign on June 8. Clubbed with lower-ranked opponents in Hong Kong (147), Afghanistan (150) and Cambodia (171), world number 106 India are the favourites to make the cut for the 2023 Asian Cup main tournament from group D. "Every draw in modern-day football is a tricky one. We need to be respectful towards our opponents," the 30-year-old Gurpreet told the AIFF website. "Obviously, they have also been preparing for these three matches, and it's understandable that they have done their homework much like us. "We can't take anyone lightly not at this stage because the stakes are high. Even as much as we need to respect the teams we play, we need to be ruthless in our approach."
Asian Cup Qualifiers: Another step on the road to future
Stimac has a roadmap for the future and the forthcoming Asian Cup qualifying tournament is a step in that direction. As of now, Stimac's focus is on fitness and despite players having niggle issues he is confident that he has a side to do the job. The Croatian is quite happy with the preparatory camp in Bellary, before coming to Kolkata. "It's really nice to be in this football city," he said. In fact, he is looking forward to the home crowd putting its weight behind India. Grouped with Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Cambodia, India would be optimistic about their chances. Stimac had to rework his plans somewhat after losing Ritwik Das. Defender Deepak Tangri may not be a like-for-like replacement, but it still fits Stimac's scheme of things.