Hong Kong hold off Palestine rally in Mong Kok
A trip to a friendly in Hong Kong turns into a tale of two halves, a ground of character and a crowd that knows its football.
The ground is small, but it has a roof, and tonight it is full of noise. Mong Kok Stadium, 2,522 people in, and the crowd is close enough to the pitch that you can hear the players breathe. I am here for Hong Kong against Palestine, a friendly in early December, and the air is warm and thick with the smell of street food from the stalls outside the gates.
Getting here was a long haul. From Haifa, where I watched Hapoel Haifa two weeks ago, it is 7,725 kilometres east. A flight to Hong Kong, then the MTR to Mong Kok, and a walk through streets where the neon signs hang over the road like a second sky. The stadium is tucked into the city, surrounded by apartment blocks and markets. It is not a grand arena, but it has a proper feel: four stands, a roof that keeps the rain off, and a pitch that looks ready for football.
I eat before the match at a dai pai dong near the station, a plate of beef ho fun and a cold bottle of lemon tea. The fans around me are a mix of locals and a few travelling Palestinians, and they talk about the game with a knowledge that comes from loving the sport more than the result. One old man in a Hong Kong scarf tells me, "This is a friendly, but we want to see them fight."
The first half is all Hong Kong. Chung Hin Lai scores after six minutes, a low shot from the edge of the box. Caleb Davidson, playing as a right winger, adds a second on 38 minutes, and Daniel Ulate makes it three a minute later. The crowd is bouncing, the noise bouncing off the roof. Palestine look stunned, but they do not give up.
The second half is different. Palestine pull one back on 61 minutes, then another on 66, and suddenly the game is alive. Hong Kong make changes at half-time, and the rhythm is lost. The home side hold on, but only just. The final whistle brings relief as much as celebration.
As I leave, the streets are still busy, the night market in full swing. Mong Kok is a place where football fits into the cracks of the city, and tonight it felt like the whole neighbourhood came to watch.