Kitchee maintained their 10-point lead ahead of South China in the HKFA Championship First Division after both sides earned one point in 2-all draws against Eastern Salon and Sun Pegasus respectively.
Kitchee vs Easton Salon
In the early game on Saturday (Feb 22) at Mongkok Stadium after a nil-all half time score, Eastern Salon took the lead in the 46th minute when Li Haiqiang scored.
Kitchee equalised after 49 minutes, when Juan Belancoso scored; then took the lead after 56 minutes, when Diego Cascon Sandoval scored.
But Eastern Salon managed to equalise in the 67th minute, when Liang Zicheng converted Tse Man-wing’s cross for a final score of 2-all.
South China vs Sun Pegasus
In the day’s later game at Hong Kong Government Stadium South China drew 2-all against Sun Pegasus.
South China took the lead in the 5th minute, when Sean Tse Ka-keung converted Vincent Weijl’s corner.
Sun Pegasus equalised quickly in the 6th minute through Admir Rasciic.
South China regained the lead in the 80th minute when Sasa Kajkut scored from the penalty spot.
Then Sun Pegasus equalised late in stoppage time in the 96th minute when Aleksander Randelovic scored from Admir Rascic’s cross.
South China were unlucky not to win; but more significantly, the last-gasp draw meant that they didn’t earn the 3-points that a win would have earned them, which would have meant a valuable 2-point gain on Kitchee.
Kitchee (on 32 points) have held the lead since the start of the season and have six matches remaining in their season, though South China (22) have a game in hand. While it’s mathematically possible for Kitchee to lose, based on the season’s form they could be run-away champions.
Other Division One results
In Saturday’s other game Sun Ray Cave JC Sun Hei won 4-3 against Citizen. In Sunday’s (Feb 23) games, Yokohama won 4-1 against BC Rangers; and Royal Southern and I-Sky Yuen Long fought out a 1-all draw.
Other Divisions
In the Second Division, Wong Tai Sin maintained their lead at the top of the division with a 4-nil win against Kwai Tsing, while their nearest challengers Wo Foo Tai Po kept up their pursuit with a 3-1 win over Double Flower.
Third placed HKFC beat Wanchai 2-nil with a generally forgettable match being won with goals in the 2nd and 91st minutes. HKFC started quickly with the first goal, however they created little threat for the remainder of the match until the final minute when Robbie Bacon beat the full back on the left-hand side of the box before he crossed to the far post where Amro Abbas fired into the roof of the net via the cross bar.
In other games Wing Yee beat Tuen Mun 6-1; Lucky Mile prevailed against Kwun Tong 2-nil with goals from James Beacher and Jordi Rhodes; and Shatin won 2-1 against Tai Chung.
Wong Tai Sin (39) lead a tight Second Division ahead of Wo Foo Tai Po (37) and HKFC (35).
In the Third Division Yau Tsim Mong maintained their lead with a 2-nil victory over Sham Shui Po. Metro Gallery Sun Source beat Kwong Wah 2-nil to lie second in the table. While Yau Tsim Mong (52) are the division’s clear leaders, Metro Gallery Sun Source (40) have two games in hand. Mutual (39) are third, but have played the same number of games as Yau Tsim Mong.
Sai Kung, after a bye, are tied at the top of the Fourth Division (on 31) with Central & Western, who defeated Solon 6-nil. However GFC Friends, who also had a bye, are third (on 29), but have one game in hand over Sai Kung and three over Central & Western.
Yau Yee League
The Yau Yee League turned its attention to the Quarter Finals of the cup competition, with GAS, Antonhill, Wanderers and Albion winning through to the Semi-finals.
In the first Quarter Final at Sports Road, The Store House Squadron looked fired up for the task from the start and scored in the 5th minute. Maxwell Pepple latched on to a loose ball, which Wanderers failed to clear, to score from close range past goalkeeper Bon Sawhney.
Despite a lot of effort neither side produced any further clear-cut chances before half time when Squadron led 1-nil. After a, no doubt, robust discussion at half time a determined Wanderers set about recovering the game.
In the 43rd minute an overhead kick from Danny Beattie squared the tie for Wanderers.
Wanderers took what turned out to be the decisive lead after 56 minutes when—just after he had made a save from a long range effort from Paul Jarrett – the Squadron keeper made a hash of a lobbed clearance to his full back, only to see the kick fall to the feet of Wanderer’s Simon Galvin on the edge of the penalty box right in front of goal. Galvin drove a fierce shot high in to the top left hand corner of the net for the final result of 2-1.
In another final, Colts took the early lead against Albion when they scored after 10 minutes in a lively encounter. Both sides strove to score, but nothing eventuated until the 38th minute when Albion equalised when Masayuke Sakai drove in a loose ball from close range. Albion finally won the game 2-1 with a late second-half goal from Marc Huff.
Meanwhile, Antonhill beat The Store House Hearts 2-1. And GAS won 3-nil against Division Two’s KCC Knights, with Chris Davis netting a hat-trick.
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