King’s Cup: Hong Kong lose to Iraq after city team threaten to shock favourites
Matt Orr penalty puts Ashley Westwood’s team in front, but Mohanad Ali comes off bench to hit double and seal King’s Cup final spot
Hong Kong slipped to a fourth straight defeat after Iraq hit back following Matt Orr’s 61st-minute penalty to secure a 2-1 victory over the city team in their King’s Cup semi-final in Thailand.
Orr nervelessly stroked home his 11th international goal after Juninho was cut down by Ahmed Yahya as he sprinted to reach a left-wing cross from Fernando.
Graham Arnold, the Iraq head coach, promptly made a triple change, and it was one of the new men, Mohanad Ali, who turned the game on its head.
Six minutes after his side had gone behind, Ali tamed a firm Ibrahim Bayesh pass with his chest, before sending an overhead kick bouncing out of the reach of Yapp Hung-fai and in off the post.
Ali used his chest to control again 14 minutes later when a ball from deep dropped over the head of Leon Jones. The centre-forward resisted a challenge from Shinichi Chan, then skipped past Vas Nunez and thrashed home an unstoppable strike.
Head coach Ashley Westwood’s team will meet either the hosts or Fiji in a third-place play-off on Sunday at the 13,000-seat Kanchanaburi Stadium.