Hong Kong: An Experience To Savour

A six-day long trip to Austria went a long way in preparing Craig Shakespeare’s men for the intense heat and humidity of not only training in Hong Kong, but also contesting fixtures against Premier League opposition.

City’s opening game – a penalty shootout win over West Bromwich Albion – saw 20 outfield players complete around 45 minutes each in temperatures that at times touched 30 degrees Celsius.

Expand photo

Ben Hamer makes a crucial stop to help City win on penalties.

In truth, throughout 90 minutes, the Foxes were superior to Tony Pulis’ men. They had more shots on goal, had more possession, more touches of the ball and only fell behind due to Jay Rodriguez’s fine 25-yard effort.

Even then, with 10 minutes on the clock, the 2015/16 Premier League champions were dominant in the early stages and it seemed inevitable that for all their dominance, they would draw level.

Riyad Mahrez was the man to score City’s first ever Premier League Asia Trophy goal, before a 7-6 win on penalties set up a final tie with Liverpool – Ben Hamer making a vital save from Sam Field.

While beaten, more minutes for the Leicester squad proved vital. This time, 19 City stars took to the pitch, with Kasper Schmeichel, Harry Maguire and Christian Fuchs all completing 90 minutes at Hong Kong Stadium.

In between fixtures and training sessions came downtime and with it not only provided the Club’s new signings with the chance to get to know their new team-mates, but also for the squad to test their table tennis skills in a way we’ve not seen before.

The Club’s positive representation was evident throughout the week off the pitch, too, as the LCFC Community Trust delivered courses to a number of Hong Kong youngsters, with one lucky participant winning a spot as a mascot for the Liverpool fixture.

Expand photo

Emile Heskey was in Hong Kong to help develop the skills of a few of the local youngsters.

Experienced coaches teamed up with Foxes legends Emile Heskey and Gerry Taggart to teach basic footballing skills to those in attendance, while Filbert Fox often played a makeshift role as a goalkeeper during shooting practice.

An experience that will be of great benefit to the Club’s stars and staff for the upcoming season, work now begins back in England, starting against Luton on Wednesday.