KC Southern met up with Eastern in Aberdeen Sports Ground on Saturday afternoon for the 2024-25 Boc Life Hong Kong Premier League clash. Eastern beat KC Southern by 2:0.
KC Southern met up with Eastern in Aberdeen Sports Ground on Saturday afternoon for the 2024-25 Boc Life Hong Kong Premier League clash. Eastern beat KC Southern by 2:0.
Kwoon Chung Southern threatened early in the first half, with Chan Yun Tung whipping in a cross from the right flank in the 10th minute. Gregory Rocha met it with a fierce strike, but Tamirlan Kozubaev was equal to the task, parrying it out for a corner.
Eastern's first real chance came in the 16th minute. Leung Kwun Chung's corner kick from the right was only partially cleared by the keeper, falling to Marcos Gondra whose close-range effort whistled just wide of the post.
Kwoon Chung Southern continued to press, creating a flurry of opportunities. In the 25th minute, Sasaki Shu's free-kick found Song Juho, whose effort was comfortably gathered by the keeper. Ten minutes later, another Sasaki corner led to a goal-mouth scramble, with Gregory Rocha nodding home Song Juho's header, only for the linesman's flag to cut short the celebrations.
Eastern responded immediately, with Ma Hei Wai threading a defense-splitting pass to Baffoe Noah. The striker was faster than the onrushing keeper but his delicate chip agonizingly cleared the crossbar.
Before the halftime whistle Eastern had another chance, as Leung Kwun Chung's in-swinging free-kick was met by a powerful Tamirlan Kozubaev header, forcing a spectacular one-handed save from the goalkeeper. The teams went into the break deadlocked at 0:0.
Eastern came out firing in the second half, breaking the deadlock just four minutes after the restart. Leung Kwun Chung's corner caused chaos in the box, with Daniel Vera's initial effort deflecting into the path of Marcos Gondra, who coolly slotted home from close range to put Eastern 1:0 up.
Both sides continued to trade blows, with Kwoon Chung Southern's Jonatan Acosta stinging the palms of the Eastern keeper from the edge of the area. At the other end, Ma Hei Wai squandered a golden opportunity, hesitating when clean through on goal, allowing the goalkeeper to smother his effort.
Eastern began to assert their dominance as the half wore on. In the 67th minute, Yu Joy Yin Jesse skinned his marker on the left wing before delivering an inch-perfect cross, but Baffoe Noah could only direct his header narrowly over the bar.
The home side's pressure finally told in the 76th minute. Marcos Gondra, ever alert, dispossessed Sasaki Shu in midfield before releasing Baffoe Noah in the box. The striker made no mistake this time, cooly slotting past the keeper to double Eastern's advantage.
Eastern continued to push for more in the dying embers of the match. Marcos Gondra, showcasing his box-to-box prowess, embarked on a lung-busting run from deep before picking out the unmarked Wong Ho Chun in the area. However, Wong's effort lacked conviction, allowing the keeper to palm it away to safety.
Kwoon Chung Southern's misery was compounded in stoppage time when Jonatan Acosta received his marching orders for a reckless push on Baffoe Noah, leaving Kwoon Chung Southern to see out the game with ten men.
Eastern held firm in the closing stages to secure a comfortable 2:0 victory, bagging all three points.