Akhil Rawat
AIFF Media Team

KOWLOON, HONG KONG: As the Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong, China, gets closer, three days to be precise, many on the Indian side of the continental football spectrum will be recalling the last match played between the two sides – a roaring 4-0 victory for the Blue Tigers in Kolkata, three years ago. For the Indian senior men’s national team, however, that is ancient history.

The Indian senior men’s team, ahead of Matchday 2 of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, held their first training session in Hong Kong on Friday evening at the Jockey Club HKFA Football Training Centre in Tseung Kwan O.

The Blue Tigers will train at the Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground on Saturday and Sunday, followed by an official training session at the newly constructed Kai Tak Stadium on matchday minus one (Monday). The Asian Cup qualifier on June 10 will be the first football match at the 50,000-capacity venue.

Still looking to recapture their form, the Blue Tigers have kept their heads up and are focusing on what needs to be done to turn their fortunes around, after a 0-2 loss against Thailand in a preparatory international friendly last week.

Sandesh Jhingan, who had captained the side against Thailand on June 4, is focussed on getting the best result against Hong Kong.

“When we arrived (in Hong Kong) just after the Thailand game, the focus for the team was on recovery. However, the main focus since we assembled for the camp in Kolkata (on May 18), has always been to get the maximum points against Hong Kong,” said Jhingan. “It’s all about preparing ourselves in the training sessions leading up to the game, so we can arrive at the match in the best way possible, both physically and mentally, and try to get maximum points.”

While the loss against Thailand was a bitter pill to swallow for the Blue Tigers, it did afford them insight into the areas that need to be improved upon.

“We need to be more decisive and clinical inside the boxes at both ends,” said Jhingan. “First and foremost, we need to be more solid at the back. If the defence is good, we will have more chances going forward. And the other part, of course, is that we need to be more clinical in attack.

“There were both positives and negatives from that game, and we will analyse and build on them.”

While the last meeting between India and Hong Kong, China, was a resounding win for the former, things have changed since then, something that the Blue Tigers are wary of.

“In football, you cannot ever rest on the laurels of the past. I remember we played them (in 2022) and we won 4-0, but that’s a thing of the past now,” said Jhingan, about the much-changed Hong Kong side now.

“We know how good a side they are, and how important this game is, and that’s that.”