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Friday, April 16, 2021, 09:28
Eastern and Lee Man lose ground in title race
By Tobias Zuser
Friday, April 16, 2021, 09:28 By Tobias Zuser

Eastern were lucky in the end to settle on a 2-2 draw with Rangers. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

The 2020/21 Hong Kong Premier League is quickly progressing, and with just a few rounds left to play, Kitchee slowly emerge as the favourites to successfully defend the championship title. After losing the direct duel with Kitchee two weeks ago, Lee Man suffered another critical loss against Pegasus, who leap-frogged the Bees to claim the third spot in the table. Lee Man may soon find themselves under pressure to finish in the top four, with Happy Valley already lurking from behind. Meanwhile, first runners-up Eastern have also experienced a major setback when having to settle on a 2-2 draw in their latest Monday night encounter with Rangers. The Blues should even consider themselves lucky, as the equalizer only came in the 93rd minute courtesy of an unnecessary mistake by the Rangers defence. 

After the latest round, Kitchee are on top of the table with 25 points, six points ahead of Eastern, who still have a game in hand. However, the two sides are only going to meet each other once more in the play-off round this season, and it appears rather unlikely that Kitchee would drop a lot of points in the remaining few games. Eastern on the other hand would need an impeccable performance of consecutive wins to keep their hopes alive. At the same time, Pegasus have steadily climbed up the table and are now on third with 16 points. The Flying Horsemen have reached unexpected heights under coach Kenneth Kwok, having not even outplayed title contenders Lee Man last weekend, but are now even challenging Eastern for the second spot in the league. 

In the lower echelons of local football the rankings are also taking shape. Hong Kong Football Club and North District are on top of the First Division, closely followed by Sha Tin, with Wing Yee and Sham Shui Po also not far off. It is expected that the clubs will only play a single round robin format this season following a long suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Citizens are leading in the Jockey Club Women’s Football League, one point ahead of rivals Kitchee. The two title contenders will face each other on May 1st at Tsing Yi Northeast Park in what should be an exciting title clash. 

In men’s football, the coming weekend will see again all eight Premier League club in action, with every match day now having the potential to pave Kitchee’s path to the title. 

Kitchee had no major difficulties to beat Resources Capital last weekend. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

HAPPY VALLEY vs KITCHEE, Premier League, Mong Kok Stadium, April 16, 8 pm

On Friday night Happy Valley and Kitchee will lock horns under the lights of Mong Kok Stadium. While the odds are clearly in favour of the reigning champions, Happy Valley are capable of an upset if things go their way. Last weekend, the Greens looked like clear winners after an impressive comeback that saw them scoring three goals in 18 minutes. However, their 3-2 lead over Southern was not enough in the end, with James Ha netting the equalizer in the 96th minute of the match, forcing both teams to split points. Nonetheless, Happy Valley have also proven a strong commitment to young players this season, which has contributed to an overall positive vibe, despite their recent incidents of gender discrimination. Some statistics suggest that around one-fourth of Happy Valley’s game minutes are occupied by players under the age of 21. The club has also the lowest average age of the league, standing at 23.8 years. In contrast, the squads of Eastern and Kitchee are relatively old, with an average age of above 30. That said, with every win, Alex Chu’s side is closing the grip around the championship trophy, and it would take a major effort for the followers to spoil the party. 

EASTERN vs LEE MAN, Premier League, Mong Kok Stadium, April 17, 3 pm

The confrontation between Eastern and Lee Man on Saturday could also benefit Kitchee, as two of their main rivals will end up taking points from each other. The Blues looked like a title contender until now, but the draw with Rangers has dealt their ambitions a serious blow. For Lee Man the situation does not look much better, though, after losing 1-3 to Pegasus last weekend despite taking the lead early in the first half. It looks more and more unlikely for the Bees to play a role in the championship, and soon the only competition left is the AFC Cup, which will kick off in mid-May.   

Southern scored the equalizer in the 96th minute of the game. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

RANGERS vs SOUTHERN, Premier League, Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground, April 18, 3 pm

Rangers almost looked a bit frustrated when they held Eastern to a 2-2 draw, after conceding the equalizer in the last minute of the match. But before the kick off not many would have expected that they could bring the title hopefuls to their knees. Southern experienced the reverse scenario when avoiding defeat in the 96th minute courtesy of a late equalizer by James Ha. The Aberdeeners celebrated the draw like a win, but with Rangers there is another difficult task just ahead that could put the district team back into misery.  

PEGASUS vs RESOURCES CAPITAL, Premier League, Yuen Long Stadium, April 18, 5:30 pm

Last but not least, Pegasus will face Resources Capital on Sunday evening in Yuen Long. The Flying Horsemen started with humble performances into the season, but coach Kenneth Kwok seems to have turned his team into a functional squad. The recent 3-1 win over Lee Man was also a special night for Pegasus winger Marquinhos, who scored a hat-trick within twenty minutes in the second half. Meanwhile, as expected, Resources Capital had a hard time against Kitchee last weekend, losing 0-3 at Mong Kok Stadium. It will be undoubtedly a difficult task for the newcomers to challenge an in-form Pegasus team.  

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