1985 China v Hong Kong football match

After 12 May 1985, the group 4A table was as follows:

#	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	China	5	4	1	0	22	0	+22	9
2	Hong Kong	5	4	1	0	17	1	+16	9
3	Macau	6	2	0	4	4	15	−11	4
4	Brunei	6	0	0	6	2	29	−27	0

China qualifies for second round with win or draw.

Hong Kong qualifies for second round with win only.

Under the glare of the floodlights and the noise of 80,000 fans at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing, the Chinese team began the game on the offensive, determined to achieve a win rather than a draw and finally qualify in dominant fashion. However, while the hosts came up empty initially, it was Hong Kong who struck the first surprising blow in the 19th minute. During a free kick, Wu Kwok Hung backheeled the ball stealthily behind him to defender Cheung Chi Tak, who from well outside the penalty box blasted a thunderous shot past Chinese goalkeeper Lu Jianren into the upper corner, making the score 1–0 in favor of the visitors. Undeterred, China increased pressure and equalized twelve minutes later, when Li Hui scored from a rebound after Hong Kong's keeper Chan Wan Ngok could not secure an initial shot. However, the Chinese players surprisingly went on the attack again in the second half, allowing more offensive chances for the Hong Kong side, culminating when Ku Kam Fai scored a rebound attempt of his own to put Hong Kong in the lead again after 60 minutes. Over the final half-hour of play, China fired several shots on goal in a desperate scramble for an equalizer, but it never came and Hong Kong left the pitch with a historic 2-1 victory.[2]

#	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	Hong Kong	11	6	5	1	0	19	2	+17
2	China	9	6	4	1	1	23	2	+21
3	Macau	4	6	2	0	4	4	15	−11
4	Brunei	0	6	0	0	6	2	29	−27

Hong Kong advances to Zone B Second Round.

In the AFC Zone B Second Round (AFC semifinals), Hong Kong faced another heavy favorite in a two-legged matchup with Japan. They quickly allowed two goals in the first leg in Japan, eventually falling 3–0. They performed better in the second leg at home, but missed a penalty and lost 2–1. Japan advanced to the Zone B Final Round, 5–1 on aggregate score.

Japan  v  Hong Kong

11 August 1985	Japan	3–0	Hong Kong	Kobe, Japan
	Hara 9' (pen.) Kimura 11' Mizunuma 53'			Referee: Gurkan (Philippines)

Hong Kong  v  Japan

22 September 1985	Hong Kong	1–2	Japan	Hong Kong
	Wan Chi Keung 80'		Kimura 45' Hara 89'	Referee: Lee Kok Leong (Singapore)

For China, the result represented another frustrating setback in their quest to qualify for their first World Cup finals. In the qualifying tournament for the 1982 edition, they had lost to New Zealand by the same score in a winner-take-all match to qualify for the World Cup Finals. It would not be until 2002 that China would finally qualify for their first FIFA World Cup.

This match also led to "the first incident of football hooliganism in the history of the People's Republic of China".[3] While Hong Kong's team received a hero's welcome upon their return, disgruntled mainland Chinese fans rioted in and around Workers Stadium after the match, and the People's Armed Police were needed to restore order. 127 people were arrested in total.[4] Zeng Xuelin, manager of the Chinese national team, and Li Fenglou, chairman of the Chinese Football Association, both resigned after the incident.