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Monday, September 23, 2019, 11:48
Kitchee and Tai Po reach for first silverware
By Tobias Zuser
Monday, September 23, 2019, 11:48 By Tobias Zuser

Southern beat R&F 1-0 in the opening match of the Sapling Cup group stage. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

The first silverware of the new season will be up for grabs this weekend, when last year’s champions Tai Po face FA Cup winners Kitchee in the Community Cup, Hong Kong’s version of what is often known as the Super Cup around the globe.

This arrangement also means a short break for the Hong Kong Premier League, which has just concluded the second round with some surprising results. The biggest shocker was probably R&F’s 0-4 home defeat to Eastern, which may have put a serious question mark behind the title ambitions of the Guangzhou side. Following the victory, Eastern climbed to the top of the table after an impressive start into the new season and the maximum of six points. The other major result could be witnessed in the Kitchee-Yuen Long game, which ended in a 2-2 draw, while Lee Man earned another point against district side Southern. 

Aside from the Community Cup on Sunday, the coming weekend will also feature the preliminary round of the Senior Shield, supposedly Asia’s oldest knock-out club tournament. In addition, there will also be a mid-week fixture next Tuesday for the Sapling Cup group stage.

HAPPY VALLEY vs PEGASUS, Senior Shield, Yuen Long Stadium, Sat Sept 21, 2:30 pm

Happy Valley and Pegasus will kick off this season’s Senior Shield competition on Saturday afternoon in Yuen Long. Both sides have very humble ambitions in the league this year. Last Monday, the Flying Horsemen salvaged their first point after drawing one-all with Tai Po, thanks to a late equalizer by Charles Lokolingoy in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The emotional rollercoaster also caused some turmoil on the benches, with Tai Po’s Kim Minki and Pegasus’ Chan Wai-ho both being sent off. Chan has yet to play a single minute for his new club and will also miss out a potential debut in the Senior Shield. Meanwhile, Happy Valley were the luckier ones in their recent match against relegation rivals Rangers. In what was a fairly even game with a lot of woeful defending on both sides, Valley’s Manu Gavilan eventually found the back of the net. Later on, he jokingly credited his goal to a Mooncake he has eaten for the Mid Autumn Festival. It is yet to see if he can also score without the edible lucky charm.  

Happy Valley salvaged their first three points in the top flight after beating Rangers. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

YUEN LONG vs LEE MAN, Senior Shield, Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground, Sat Sept 21, 5:30 pm

The second match of the preliminary Senior Shield round will see Yuen Long locking horns with Lee Man. The district side famously won the trophy two years ago, but the success also marked the beginning of a steady decline. Nonetheless, the Tangerines proved once again that their opponents should not write them off just yet. The latest victims of Yuen Long were Kitchee, who were expected to cruise to another win in Round 2 of the Hong Kong Premier League after beating Happy Valley 5-0 in the first match of the year. Despite taking the lead twice in the game, first through Jared Lum and later through Manuel Bleda, Yuen Long managed to come back every time. Eventually, the match ended in a 2-2 draw, which could easily turn into a liability for Kitchee’s title hopes later in the season. That said, Lee Man have so far been the surprise package, beating Pegasus 4-2 in the first match and then drawing 2-2 with Southern last weekend. Following his hat-trick, forward Michael N’dri scored another goal from the penalty spot this time, putting him on top of the league’s goal scorer list. This means, after just two rounds, Lee Man have already accumulated more than one third of last year’s total of points. With six goals to their tally, they also scored half of what they achieved in the entire previous season. 

TAI PO vs KITCHEE, Community Cup, Mong Kok Stadium, Sun Sept 22, 5:30 pm

The big match of the weekend is definitely the match-up between Tai Po and Kitchee, who face each other in the Community Cup at Mong Kok Stadium. As every year, the game is sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and will also feature some youth games in the afternoon. The winners and runners-up will be given a substantial cash prize of HK$250,000 and HK$100,000 respectively, which they will traditionally donate to a charity of their choice. This year marks the second consecutive time that Kitchee and Tai Po meet each other in this tournament. Last year, the Bluewaves edged out the Greens with a 1-0 victory. Even though Tai Po have qualified as league champions, Kitchee are once again the favourites to clinch the first silverware of the season. This would also mark their third Community Cup trophy in a row.  

Kitchee and Tai Po face each other again in the HKJC Community Cup this year. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

RANGERS vs EASTERN, Sapling Cup Group A, Mong Kok Stadium, Tue Sept 24, 8 pm

After increasing the number of group matches from four to eight, the Sapling Cup has started a bit earlier than usual, with the advantage that most clubs are guaranteed an equal number of games over the course of the entire season. The tournament kicked off on 18 Sep, with a mid-week game between R&F and Southern. As of this year, each team is required to field at least three local youth players who are born on or after 1 Jan 1998. Hence, one’s success will mainly rely on how many young talents they have at their disposal. Southern’s eventual 1-0 win over R&F was decided by Philip Chan Siu-kwan, who scored the only goal of the evening in the 23rd minute. The other teams in group B are Happy Valley, Yuen Long, and Tai Po. On Tuesday night, Rangers and Eastern will kick off the opening match of group A, which is completed by Pegasus, Kitchee, as well as defending champions Lee Man, who won the Sapling Cup in 2018/19. Only the winners of each group will meet each other in the final in May 2020.


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