23rd March 2023 – (Hong Kong) Hong Kong’s football team played its first post-pandemic match on Thursday at the Mong Kok Stadium against Singapore in an international friendly. The home team drew with Singapore 1-1 in front of a capacity crowd of 5,910 fans, who cheered throughout the match, as there were no longer any pandemic restrictions in place.
This was the first football match in Hong Kong since the pandemic began with no social distancing or mask requirements, and tickets sold out within a day of going on sale, demonstrating the fans’ eagerness to attend a home match. It was also the first time in eight years that a Hong Kong team had played in front of such a large crowd, with the last time being in 2015 during a World Cup qualifier against Qatar. The game was played at the Mong Kok Stadium, which was packed with enthusiastic fans wearing red shirts to support the home team. The stadium was also the venue for the launch of the new team kit, which went on sale before the match.
Even though the game didn’t start until 8pm, fans had already queued up outside the stadium since 6pm. The atmosphere inside the stadium was electric as the Hong Kong team took to the field for their warm-up, receiving a thunderous welcome from the fans despite the stands not yet being full. After the national anthem was played, the match began, with the Hong Kong team taking the initiative early on and creating several chances in the opponent’s penalty area. However, the team was caught off guard when Singapore scored the opening goal from a corner kick in the 20th minute. Hong Kong managed to draw level just before halftime, resulting in several waves of excitement from the crowd.