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Thursday, March 08, 2018, 21:28
Brave Kitchee display ends in narrow loss
By Jeff Hardbattle
Thursday, March 08, 2018, 21:28 By Jeff Hardbattle

Kitchee's 0-1 loss to Kashiwa Reysol leaves them without a point in Group E. (PHOTO COURTESY OF KITCHEE)

Despite Kitchee propping up the other teams in Group E of the Asian Champions League without a point to their name, the Bluewaves can at least hold their heads up somewhat higher after a spirited display against Japanese J-League giants Kashiwa Reysol. The game ended in defeat thanks to Junya Ito’s second half strike that sealed a 1-0 win for the hosts. 

There was plenty for Alex Chu’s men to feel optimistic about with Kitchee having several chances throughout the match including an early effort from Fernando that had to be cleared off the line. 

With the return fixture set to take place next Tuesday at the more familiar territory of Hong Kong Stadium, the performance will no doubt bring some confidence to the team and hopes will be high to obtain their first ever Champions League group stage point. 

With their heavy continental commitments, Kitchee’s league match against Rangers has been rescheduled to an earlier date, giving the remaining eight teams the chance to improve their stake in the Premier League as Round 14 kicks off.

EASTERN v R&F, Premier League, Mong Kok Stadium, Mar 9, 8:00 pm 

Little over a month ago, Eastern looked like a team bereft of any kind of defensive solidarity and were leaking goals all too easily. But with two hugely impressive wins in a row, the Blues find themselves back where they feel they belong – in the upper reaches of the league table. 

Jaimes McKee, Bruno and Manuel Bleda were all on target in the 3-0 away victory over Dreams last week, and should they win this match then a top four finish will not be out of the question. R&F’s topsy-turvy form has seen them rise to fifth in the table, but they were left to rue their missed chances as they conceded a late equalizer in a 2-2 draw against Rangers who currently sit at the bottom of the pile. 

There is no question about their strength in going forward with the likes of Giovane da Silva, Godfred Karikari and Tiago de Leonco in their ranks, but there remains plenty of questions towards their back line.

Eastern have come into some much needed form after a dreadful start to the season. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

SOUTHERN v LEE MAN, Premier League, Aberdeen Sports Ground, Mar 10, 2:30 pm 

Southern have been having a rough ride of late, and just when it seemed they might have turned a corner with a 1-0 win over Dreams a fortnight ago, they were made to face the reality of their shortcomings once again Saturday, as they let their advantage slip to eventually lose 1-2 to Yuen Long. 

One win in twelve games is undoubtedly an alarming statistic, and with the investment that the club had over last summer, Ricky Cheng could well be feeling the pressure.

After a promising run that saw Lee Man unbeaten from early December to mid-January, the Bees have now lost three out of their last four matches and find themselves slipping down towards the wrong end of the table again. 

In truth, though, they were slightly unlucky to lose their last match against Pegasus, but goals from Stefan Pereira and Yu Pui-hong were ultimately not enough as they eventually lost out in a 2-3 defeat. This one is unquestionably a match that could go either way.

YUEN LONG v TAI PO, Premier League, Yuen Long Stadium, Mar 11, 2:30 pm 

Yuen Long climbed out of the bottom two for the first time this year following their win over Southern last weekend, and since their heroics in the Senior Shield, the Tangerines have also been finding their feet in the league. 

The returning Aleksandar Randelovic has been impressive, and was once again on the scoresheet for his team along with Everton Camargo.

Whatever happens this season, Tai Po fans can be nothing but pleased with the way their team have performed during this campaign, and finishing as league runners-up is still a real possibility. 

They were handed a heavy defeat at home to Kitchee in a 1-4 loss last time around in a match where there was genuine hope of seeing the Greens provide some real competition to the champions. With the recent form of the home side, this is another match for which the victors are far from certain.

Pegasus managed to hold onto second place after eventually overcoming Lee Man in a 3-2 win. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

DREAMS v PEGASUS, Premier League, Tsing Yi Sports Ground, Mar 11, 5:30 pm 

If it had not been for their early successes in the league, Dreams could have found themselves in real trouble by now. Seven straight domestic losses have seen the team drop from the heights of third place down to ninth, only with struggling Rangers behind them. 

Pegasus got back to winning ways after slipping up against Eastern. But they were made to work for their win as Lee Man made it tough for them, with both sides looking to be heading for a share of the points until Travis Major popped up for them. The Australian currently has eleven goals to his name and is the second most prolific goal scorer this season with only Kitchee’s Lucas Silva ahead of him on fifteen goals.

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