HONG KONG, Jan 30: Nepal’s national volleyball team has defeated Hong Kong for a second straight time in matches played between the two nations after more than three decades in an international tournament.
Nepal struggled to beat Hong Kong 25-16, 25-14, 26-28, 27-25 in the second friendly match on Monday. Nepal went to Hong Kong to play two friendly matches.
At the Po Wing Road Sports Center, Nepal lost its rhythm in the third set despite winning the first two sets which pushed the match to tie-breaker in the last two sets.
Hong Kong, the Pearl of the Orient, will shine again
Captain of the Nepali team Em Rana Magar said that the Hong tour was overall exciting.
“The team did a good job in receiving and defense in comparison to yesterday’s match. Everything was good in the first and the second set, but the game went out of our control in the third set. They kept us under pressure but we won the match after we successfully coordinated in receiving and blocking,’’ said Magar adding, “We got good support from the people residing in Hong Kong. I want to dedicate the win to our fans. We felt like we were playing in Nepal rather than Hong Kong.’’ Nepal’s head coach Birendra Prasad Chaudhary said that they were successful to bring the result as the team played with full potential in comparison to the last match.
“We lost the third set as Hong Kong played good shots and with good pace in the third set, but we played with caution,’’ Chaudhary said.
Earlier on Sunday, Nepal defeated Hong Kong at the Yuen Chau Ko Sports Center 23-25, 28-26, 25-21, 17-15 in its first friendly.
Nepal had brought mixed results when it last played against Hong Kong in Japan in 1983. In the first match played in Sagamihara, Nepal saw off Hong Kong 3-2, while it lost 3-1 in the second.
Nepal will leave for Macau on Tuesday to play a friendly scheduled for Wednesday.
Coach Chaudhary expressed his confidence that the Nepali team will also overcome Macau if they play with the same spirit they showed against Hong Kong. He further added that the climate in Macau will not be a challenge for them as the Nepali players have already adjusted with the weather of Hong Kong. “The distance between Macau and Hong Kong is not very far, so the climate will not be much different,’’ added Chaudhary.
