AFC Champions League Group F match held at the Hong Kong Stadium, Bangkok United 2:1 defeated Kitchee and took all three points.
In an AFC Champions League Group F showdown, Kitchee faced off against Bangkok United at their home ground Hong Kong Stadium. Despite taking an early lead, Kitchee fell short, suffering a 1:2 defeat against a resilient Bangkok United side who played with ten men in the closing stages of the match. With three losses in the group stage, Kitchee found themselves rooted to the bottom of the table. Kitchee kicked off the game with a promising start. Just seven minutes into the match, Fernando Augusto delivered a long ball that caught the opposing goalkeeper off guard, allowing Jantscher Jakob to capitalize with a clinical finish into an open net, giving Kitchee a 1:0 advantage. On the 12th minute, Kitchee had another opportunity to extend their lead as Law Tsz Chun's cross from the right found Mikael, who won the aerial battle but failed to find the target with his header. Despite enjoying more possession, Bangkok United struggled to create significant scoring chances. Their first real opportunity came on the 34th minute when they were awarded a freekick in front of the box,but Pokklaw A-Nan’s attempt failed to challenge the goalkeeper.
Kitchee launched another attacking wave on the 43rd minute, Ruslan Mingazov cut insisde from the left and unleashed a powerful strike which missed the target. Just before halftime, Bangkok United managed to level the scoreline.A header from a teammate found Mahmoud K.M. Dhadha inside the box, who then delivered a pinpoint cross from the left. With no one marking him, Rungrat Phumichantuk capitalized on the opportunity and slotted the ball into the back of the net, making it a 1:1 draw at halftime.
Only three minutes into the second half, Kitchee's defense was breached once again. A handball inside the penalty area by Fernando Augusto resulted in a penalty kick for Bangkok United. Willen Mota Inacio stepped up and converted the spot-kick, giving Bangkok United a 2:1 lead. On the 55th minute, the away team had a chance to extend their advantage when Everton Goncalves Saturnino connected with Rungrat Phumichantuk’s free-kick delivery and headed towards the top left corner,but unfortunately the ball bounced off the crossbar.
Kitchee then tried to fight back and created numerous scoring chances. On the 56th minute, Ruslan Mingazov rose high to meet Law Tsz Chun's cross from the right, but his powerful header was brilliantly saved by the diving goalkeeper. Two minutes later, it was Mikael's turn to test the goalkeeper with a header from Jantscher Jakob's corner kick, but he couldn't find the target. On the 64th minute, Charlie Scott unleashed a thunderous strike from 30 yards out, only to be denied by another impressive save from the goalkeeper. Just a minute later, substitute Igor Sartori attempted a close-range shot from the left, but his shot was saved by the well-positioned goalkeeper once again.
Meanwhile, Bangkok United took advantage of counterattacks to create their own scoring opportunities. On the 80th minute, Willen Mota Inacio narrowly missed the target with a close-range effort following a well-delivered cross. However, Bangkok United suffered a setback on the 83rd minute when Bassel Jradi was shown a red card for a severe foul on Mikael.
With a numerical advantage, Kitchee launched a relentless onslaught late in the game,starting from Chan Chun Lok's shot from a narrow angle which struck the side netting on the 87th minute. During the stoppage time, Kitchee had two golden chances to salvage a point. Firstly, Poon Pui Hin unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area, but the goalkeeper made a remarkable save to turn it away. Moments later, Poon Pui Hin connected with Ruslan Mingazov's pass from the left and took a shot from close range, but his shot lacked the power to trouble the goalkeeper, who comfortably collected the ball. Finally, Kitchee suffered a 1:2 defeat against Bangkok United on home turf in the AFC Champions League group stage, marking their third consecutive loss.