Hong Kong qualifies AFC Asian Cup for first time since 1968

HONG KONG, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Team Hong Kong has earned a spot for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup despite a 4-0 defeat to India in the qualifying final round on Tuesday.

Hong Kong, China had played three times in the Asian soccer elites stage, as it placed third in the first edition in 1956 and finished fourth and fifth in 1964 and 1968 respectively.

According to the rules, 24 teams were divided into six groups, and all the group winners and five best runners-ups qualifying for the tournament.

Hong Kong led group D with six points after the previous two rounds, following victories over Afghanistan and Cambodia, while India also registered two consecutive wins.

Hong Kong SAR and India had actually cemented places in the finals hand by hand before the kick-off of the third round, as the Philippines placed second in Group B with only four points.

In a relatively irrelevant fixture later, India was up by two goals after the first half and scored another two in the closing phase, securing a comfortable 4-0 triumph on home turf.