Home town teams Hong Kong Under-17 and Hong Kong Under-14 both managed to finish the Jockey Club International Youth Invitation Tournament in encouraging manners. Hong Kong U-17 completed the tournament as runner-up to eventual winner Chinese Taipei, while the Hong Kong U-14 squad went one step further and came out on top in its own age group.

Under the guidance of head coach Bravo Gimenez, Hong Kong U-17 performed admirably in the three round-robin games despite falling short of the title. It should be noted that the team’s aggressive and attacking display on the pitch were warmly received by the Hong Kong faithful. Individually speaking, players such as striker Sun Ming-him and attacking midfielder Chu Wai-kwan really caught the eyes of the spectators and showed great promises.

Towering midfielder Chu Wai-kwan, with goals in all three games, spoke about how the team still has room to improvement from this tournament. “We have been a very united team and our attitude have been spot on, while able to execute the coaches’ pre-match tactics,” Chu said. “It is a pity that we could not come out on top by defeating Chinese Taipei in the last game. Looking ahead, we need to avoid being too preoccupied with our attack and opening up at the back.”

Regarding the Hong Kong Under-14 side, the team snatched two wins and one draw from three games under the leadership of head coach Szeto Man-chun and finished the tournament as worthy winner. This young representative team plays an aggressive style, is very versatile when it comes to attacking, reflecting how the new generation Hong Kong representative teams are building up a style that is suitable for home-grown talents.  Midfielders such as Connor Tong and Chan Shinichi both possess great individual skills but yet can complement the side as part of a well-run unit.

Connor Tong managed to net the crucial goal that gave Hong Kong a 1:1 draw against Chinese Taipei in the final match, allowing the host to claim the trophy through better goal-difference. The MVP-winner candidly admitted Hong Kong performed really well throughout the tournament. “I am really happy to be awarded with the MVP trophy. However, I did not win the tournament by myself, as the whole team performed very well, this made the whole triumph all the better,” Tong claimed.