Hong Kong advance to Asian Cup for 1st time in 55 years

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Hong Kong qualified for the AFC Asian Cup for first time in 55 years on Tuesday, courtesy of Palestine's win against the Philippines.

Palestine beat the Philippines 4-0 at the MFF Football Centre in Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar to book themselves a spot in the 2023 Asian Cup.

The goals by Saleh Chihadeh, Tamer Seyam, Mohammed Yamin, and Mahmoud Abu Warda brought victory to the Palestinian team.

This win was Palestine's third in a row in Group B, propelling it five points ahead of their Southeast Asian opponents.

Hong Kong, which are tied with India, are currently at the top of Group D on goal difference.

India and Hong Kong, both of whom have collected six points each so far, will meet for the first-place finish at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

A total of 13 teams have already qualified for the tournament, including Japan, Iran, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, China, Syria, Oman, Vietnam, and Lebanon.

Palestine, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Thailand, India, and Hong Kong are among seven sides that have advanced to the next stage.

The nations have been equally divided into six groups and will play in single round-robin format clashes.

The group winners guaranteed an automatic berth at the tournament, while five of the six runners-up will qualify for the main event.