HONG Kong celebrated a slice of history today after reaching the Asian Cup for the first time since 1968.

The Chinese territory will play India later in the day in their final qualifier for the regional showpiece next year, but went through beforehand thanks to a 4-0 win for the Palestinians over the Philippines.

The big win sent the Palestinians through and they took several other teams with them, including India and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong qualified despite the domestic league being put on hold after Covid-19 cases surged in the city of 7.5 million people earlier this year.

There was also a coronavirus outbreak in the squad during recent qualifiers in India.

“We did it,” wrote Hong Kong midfielder Wong Wai on Instagram, while team-mate Leung Kwun-chung said: “We are in the history”.

China was supposed to host the Asian Cup next year, but pulled out of staging the tournament due to Covid-19.

Asian football chiefs are now looking for a new host.

Top regional sides, including Australia, Japan, South Korea and reigning champions Qatar, have already qualified, as has China. – AFP, June 14, 2022.