Kwoon Chung Southern and Lee Man squared off in Mongkok Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the JC Sapling Cup Final. A crucial brace from Stefan Pereira sealed the deal for Kwoon Chung Southern, as the district side edged Lee Man 2:0 on the day and took home the JC Sapling Cup trophy.
Early in the game, Lee Man had a great chance to open the score. On the 5th minute, Givanilton Martins knocked the ball towards the middle. Kota Kawase tried to clear the ball away but fired it right at his own goal, only to be saved by goalkeeper Ng Wai-him. A minute later, Kwoon Chung Southern almost took the lead, as youngster Chen Ngo-hin gave chase to a teammate’s long pass, then fired away, only to send the ball over the crossbar.
On the 12th minute, Lee Man’s Givanilton Martins showed off blazing speed on the right flank, darted into the box and pulled the trigger, only to be stopped by Kwoon Chung Southern goalkeeper Ng Wai-him. Late in the first half, Lee Man’s Manuel Bleda sent the ball to the middle. Givanilton Martins directed the ball into the net but saw his goal called back by the referee due to offside. The first half eventually finished in a 0:0 draw.
Early in the second half, Kwoon Chung Southern nearly took the lead, as Stefan Pereira connected with a teammate’s corner-kick delivery and headed the ball towards the net, only to send the ball wide. The Hong Kong Island-side finally broke the game open.
On the 55th minute, Stefan Pereira dished out a sublime free-kick that sailed into the top corner of the Lee Man net. Kwoon Chung Southern was up 1:0. A few minutes later, Lee Man came close to tying the game, yet Law Cheuk-hei’s long range shot failed to beat Kwoon Chung Southern goalkeeper Ng Wai-him. Lee Man had a superb chance to tie the game on the 63rd minute, as Jonatan Acosta’s cheeky back-heel pass was picked up by Givanilton Martins. The latter fired away but saw his strike hitting the crossbar.
On the 80th minute, Kwoon Chung Southern managed to hit Lee Man with another goal. This time, Stefan Pereira gave chase to a teammate’s long pass, rounded substitute goalkeeper Tang Tsz-long and fired the ball into the open net. The score was now 2:0.
The 2:0 stood all the way towards the final whistle, as Kwoon Chung Southern beat Lee Man by two goals on the day and took home the JC Sapling Cup silverware.