The national team of Hong Kong has not been anything special in the world of football. But as is always the case, footballers have to respect their opponents and go for the win.
When looking at the results of the second round of qualifying four years ago, there definitely was improvement from Hong Kong.
Both matches with rival China ended scoreless and Hong Kong even put up a fight against Qatar.
Hong Kong has made progress in recent years and I think the progress is associated with the naturalization factor that has become very common with lower-ranked national teams.
After looking at Hong Kong’s roster, I did notice some Brazilians, Spaniards, Nigerians, and British.
Am I impressed with the naturalized players? Not really, but that is because a lot of these players are older and well past their prime.
Should Iran be worried about the opening qualifier against Hong Kong? Definitely not, but underestimating Hong Kong or bringing a subpar squad can backfire.
After all, Hong Kong will be playing at home and will be motivated to bring its best game against Iran.