Anthem boos as protest-hit Hong Kong slump to Iran

Sat, 04 Jul 2020

Anthem boos as protest-hit Hong Kong slump to Iran

News24
11 Sep 2019, 04:13 GMT+10

Hong Kong - Hong Kong fans booed their own national anthem and sang in protest against Beijing's rule as months of political unrest spilled onto the football pitch in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Iran on Tuesday.

"I think football is the most peaceful way to express our demands," Christopher Chung, a 22-year-old fan, told AFP.

It failed to galvanise the hosts, however, as goals from Sardar Azmoun and Karim Ansarifard gave heavyweights Iran victory in their first competitive game under ex-Belgium boss Marc Wilmots.

Hong Kong occasionally threatened on the break but the game was beyond them when Ansarifard knocked in Iran's second goal nine minutes after the break, cashing in on Jahanbakhsh's strong run down the right.

In Yangon, Porto midfielder Shoya Nakajima and Salzburg's Takumi Minamino were on target as Japan began their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Myanmar.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Japan Herald.

More Information

21 ℃

Light Rain Shower in Tokyo

Asia Pacific

Section

New Zealand's health minister quits over controversies

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - New Zealand Health Minister David Clark resigned Thursday after recent controversies surrounding his handling of the ...

Chinese stocks jump sharply, Hong Kong index gains 665 points

SYDNEY, Australia - Stocks rose across the board in Asia on Thursday with Chinese indices doing best.The U.S. dollar meantime ...

American companies given go-ahead to collaborate with Huawei

WASHINGTON, DC - In a rare twist to Washington's long-standing restrictions on the Chinese tech giant Huawei, the Commerce Department ...

MAD Lions dump Schalke in LEC Summer Split

First-place MAD Lions defeated last-place FC Schalke 04 in 34 minutes as Week 4 of the League of Legends European ...

First Hong Kong citizen arrested under China's new security law

Hong Kong, July 4 (ANI): Days after China passed the national security law, Tong Ying-kit has become the first person ...

Strict anti-epidemic measures for China's college entrance exam

Teachers rehearse for the exam at the No. 12 Middle School in Beijing, capital of China, July 3, 2020. This ...

Business

Section

European stocks lose ground, Asian markets finish higher, U.S. closed

LONDON, UK - It was a quiet day on world markets on Friday with U.S. markets closed ahead of the ...

5,000 English pubs have closed in last 5 years

Coronavirus has had an unprecedented impact on pubs in Britain. The British Beer and Pub Association estimates that the industry ...

Ban on flights to and from India extended until end of July

NEW DELHI, India, July 3 (ANI): The ban on international commercial passenger flights to and from India has been extended ...

Asian stocks see out week on positive note

SYDNEY, Australia - Stocks in Asia extended gains on Friday as strong payrolls data out of the U.S. and a ...

Axis Bank to wind down and close operations in Britain

MUMBAI, Maharashtra, India - Private sector lender Axis Bank is fully winding down and closing operations of its subsidiary in ...

Wall Street rallies on final trading day of week

NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets defied the gloom and doom over the surge in Covid-19 cases, sending ...

Movie Review

War of the Worlds (2005) (4K UHD)