Hong Kong got their FIFA ASEAN Cup Division 2 Group A campaign off to an emphatic start with a 4-0 win over Laos on Sunday.
A late Sin Kakada stunner ensured Cambodia also began their campaign on a winning note, edging Myanmar 1-0 in Group B.
Laos may have been 2-0 up inside 25 minutes of their opener versus Brunei Darussalam but it was a different experience altogether here. Everton swung in a corner from the right which was superbly headed into the bottom-left corner by Sun Ming Him after just 12 minutes to give the co-hosts a deserved lead.
The roles were reversed shortly after as Sun recovered a loose ball inside the area and squared up two Laos defenders before laying up Everton, who expertly side-stepped a pair of advancers before lashing into the near post.
Everton continued to torment the Laos backline after the interval and it wasn’t long until he helped deepen their plight. Another corner, this time an outswinger from the left, was met by centre-back Dudu whose header was too hot to handle for Laos goalkeeper Souksamone Vethita. Matt Orr then added a late fourth from the penalty spot to amplify the scoreline.
The win sees Hong Kong leapfrog their opponents into top spot of Division 2, Group A ahead of their meeting with Brunei Darussalam on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Myanmar thought they had taken the lead inside just three minutes when Hein Htet Aung stole in to find the net, but he was flagged offside. Cambodia carved out a golden chance themselves just a minute later as neat interplay down the left resulted in Sosidan Nhean crossing for Chanthea Sieng six yards out, only for the No9 to get his flicked effort all wrong.
It wasn’t long until Myanmar were back on the hunt with their next chance falling to Myat Kaung Khant just inside the area, but Soksela Keo was equal to his low drive.
The second half looked to be passing by with little incident until just over 15 minutes to go. Myanmar midfielder Wai Lin Aung was initially sent off for a high boot but, following a VAR review, the referee downgraded his call to a yellow card.
Hav Soknet then looked to have passed up the best chance to win the game for Cambodia when he glanced an inch-perfect Krya Saret cross wide as the clock struck 90 minutes. But four minutes into added time Andres Nieto bought a yard on the edge of the area and set up Kakada, who took a touch and rifled the ball into the top-left corner.
That victory means Cambodia join Myanmar on three points and know they will advance should they avoid defeat to Timor-Leste on Wednesday.
