The Macao Football Team, as the visiting team, lost to Kyrgyzstan in Group A in the third round of the Asian Cup qualifier. They also lost to Myanmar in the home field in the evenings of 28 March and 13 June. The team experienced two consecutive losses. Having lost in the home field by 4 goals, the coach Tam Iao San and the team leader Cheang Cheng Ieong expressed apologies to the fans. They stressed that they would focus on overcoming the weaknesses in defense as seen during the match. They will strive to perform their best in the third round against India in the home field in September. Tam Iao San thought that the early loss affected the players' pace and they failed to strike a balance between the use of defensive and offensive strategies. The ability to keep the ball and defensive ability are the issues that should be reviewed, but he agreed that the players had made their maximal effort to compete. He hoped that the team could improve to some extent after each match.
Losing to Myanmar by four goals in the home field
The second match of the Asian Cup qualifier took place at 7:30 pm on 13 June at the Macau Olympic Complex. Over 1,200 fans turned up and showed their support given the promotions done by different sectors and the mutual communication among the fans. Ho Man Fai from the Macao Team was the goalkeeper. Choi Chan In, Cheang Cheng Ieong, Lei Ka Him, and Lei Chi Kin guarded at the defensive line. The midfielders included Kong Cheng Hou, Lam Ka Seng, and Ai Ka, who contributed to the team's offense or defense. The striker Almeida was responsible for advancing, with the assistance of the wing players on both sides, Pang Chi Hang and Leong Ka Hang.
Four minutes after the match began, Sithu Aung from Myanmar tried to score from the right. The football hit a defensive player and went in a different direction as a result. After that, the ball entered the goal. As said by Tam Iao San, the early loss made the Macao Team fail to strike a balance between the use of defensive and offensive strategies and they remained passive during the rest of the match as a result. In the 30th minute, Ko Ko Kyaw from Myanmar scored calmly and his team achieved 2:0. After changing sides, Sithu Aung and Thet Naing from Myanmar also scored twice in total, in the 62nd minute and the 74th minute. Thus, Myanmar defeated Macao by a landslide with 4:0.
The team leader Cheang Cheng Ieong, who thought that the team did not perform well, did not justify the loss with any excuse. He merely expressed his hope that fans from Macao could keep supporting the team, “We are deeply sorry for not having gained a good result for everyone. We promise that we will make progress after every single competition. We hope that all fans will continue supporting us!”
Losing to Kyrgyzstan as the visiting team
On 28 March, the Macao Team competed against Kyrgyzstan as the visiting team. Kyrgyzstan was the strongest team in the same group. Although the players showed their tenacious will, they lost to their opponents decisively by 0:1 due to a mistake in defense. Azamat Baimatov from the home team did a headshot in the 70th minute. The team failed to fulfill their goal to score in the match although they had a tough competition. The main coach, Tam Iao San, felt disappointed but was still thankful for the effort made by the players. He said, “The players showed their conviction and team spirit. We believe that the fans who had watched the live show also felt their effort and determination. They did their utmost all along from the beginning to the end. I am very proud of my players for their performance.”
