Kitchee took on BC Rangers in Mongkok Stadium on Saturday evening for a BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League clash. A late penalty goal scored by veteran striker Dejan Damjanovic, dragged Kitchee past BC Rangers through a dramatic 2:1 home victory.
Kitchee took on BC Rangers in Mongkok Stadium on Saturday evening for a BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League clash. A late penalty goal scored by veteran striker Dejan Damjanovic, dragged Kitchee past BC Rangers through a dramatic 2:1 home victory.
After the opening whistle, Kitchee wasted no time and took the game right at the visiting BC Rangers.
On the 8th minute, Kitchee’s Igor Sartori had the ball under control on the left wing and knocked a great cross towards the middle. Cleiton Velasques stepped up and let rip but was turned away by a superb save from BC Rangers goalkeeper Leung Hing-kit.
Kitchee came close once again on the 14th minute. This time, A long ball sent by a Kitchee player was alertly punched away by BC Rangers goalkeeper Leung Hing-kit. Igor Sartori applied a timely header and sent the ball towards the net, only to see his effort cleared off the goal-line by a desperate Lo Kwan-yee in BC Rangers color.
BC Rangers almost nicked the lead on the 30th minute. A mis-kick by Paulo Da Silva in the Kitchee net saw Walter Junior picking up the loose ball and passing it to teammate Lau Chi-lok. The latter took a shot towards the net but Helio Goncalves came to Kitchee’s rescue with a crucial clearance.
Kitchee drew first blood of the game on the 38th minute. Igor Sartori provided a great cross and sent the ball deep into the BC Rangers penalty area. Ruslan Mingazov drilled on the ball at the back-post and found the back of the net. Kitchee was up 1:0 late in the first half.
The first half finished with Kitchee enjoying a 1:0 lead over the visiting BC Rangers.
BC Rangers tried to mount a comeback on the second half. On the 51st minute, Lau Chi-lok uncorked a tight-angle blast that went wide off the Kitchee net.
BC Rangers finally pulled level on the 55th minute. Walter Junior did some fantastic work down the flank and delivered a teasing cross into the Kitchee box. Jesse Yu took up great position and nodded the ball into the Kitchee net. The game was now tied at 1:1.
Both sides continued to battle hard, hoping to pull in front, yet genuine scoring chances never materialized into the all-important go-ahead goal.
Just when the game looked like it would finish in a draw, huge dramatic unfolded, as the referee spotted a BC Rangers player committing a foul inside his own box, thus awarding Kitchee with a penalty shot. Dejan Damjanovic took the spot-kick and sent the ball into the back of the net, giving Kitchee a late lead in the game.
The 2:1 score stood all the way towards the final whistle, as Kitchee scrapped past BC Rangers through a narrow victory.