HK U23 played against Sham Shui Po at Hammer Hill Road Sportground on Saturday night for the JC Sapling Cup Group A fixture of the day. Sham Shui Po defeated HK U23 by 5:1. 

Sham Shui Po initiated the scoring spree as early as the 12th minute of the first half. A long-range strike from Ngan Cheuk Pan was expertly parried by HK U23's goalkeeper Tang Tsz Long, only for Wellingsson De Souza to pounce on the rebound, netting the opener and putting Sham Shui Po up by 1:0.

HK U23 responded with a series of aggressive attempts, eventually finding the equalizer in the 43rd minute. Krisna Korani latched onto a long pass from his teammate and delivered a precise cross from the left flank, setting up Ng Man Hei who unleashed a powerful shot to level the score at 1:1.

However, HK U23 couldn't maintain the deadlock till half-time. A swift left-wing breakthrough by Tang Tsz Kwan, concluded with a neat pass to Wellingsson De Souza who pocketed his second goal of the match, re-establishing Sham Shui Po's advantage at 2:1 as they entered the break.

The second half saw Sham Shui Po maintain their dominance. In the 58th minute, a cross from Song Juho led to a melee in the HK U23 penalty area, and Wellingsson De Souza capitalized, rifling home a close-range shot to extend the lead to 3:1.

In the 68th minute, the outstanding Wellingsson De Souza delighted the fans with another goal, curling a free-kick from the edge of the box into the net, notching up his personal tally to four goals and making it 4:1.

Showing no signs of slowing down, Sham Shui Po added another goal to their tally in the 76th minute. A midfield interception by Odakura Kota led to a pass to Wellingsson De Souza, who then threaded a beautiful through ball into the penalty area. Dunga was on hand to slot it home, making it an unassailable 5:1.

Despite being at a disadvantage, HK U23 showed spirit, persisting in their attempts to score. However, their bad luck persisted as Ng Man Hei's free-kick hit the woodwork and bounced out.

In the end, Sham Shui Po emerged victorious with a commanding 5:1 win over HK U23, pocketing all three points.