Lee Man met BC Rangers at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground on Saturday evening for the BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League fixture of the day. Lee Man defected BC Rangers by 2:1.
Lee Man met BC Rangers at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground on Saturday evening for the BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League fixture of the day. Lee Man defected BC Rangers by 2:1.
BC Rangers broke the deadlock early on. In the 7th minute, Okamoto Akito launched a pinpoint long ball from deep to Lee Ching on the wing, who cushioned a header into the danger zone. Chang Kwong Yin expertly controlled it, wrong-footed his marker, and slotted home with a clinical left-footed finish into the far corner, putting BC Rangers 1:0 up.
Despite dominating possession in the first half, Lee Man struggled to carve out clear-cut chances. Their best opportunity came in the 40th minute when Ngan Lok Fung unleashed a speculative effort from outside the box following Wu Chun Ming's clever layoff, but it sailed wide of the target.
As the first half drew to a close, Lee Man mounted a series of attacking forays. In a moment of brilliance, Simionato Paulo Sergio and Tachibana Ryoya executed a slick one-two combination, carving open the defense. Simionato Paulo Sergio penetrated the penalty area from an acute angle, but his goal-bound effort was expertly parried away by the goalkeeper's acrobatic save.
Lee Man's persistence paid dividends just before the interval. Simionato Paulo Sergio whipped in a teasing cross from the left flank, which was only partially cleared. Everton Camargo pounced on the loose ball, rifling a thunderous left-footed drive from the edge of the area into the back of the net, restoring parity at 1:1.
The second half saw Lee Man seize the initiative. Five minutes after the restart, Everton Camargo latched onto a long ball from Li Ngai Hoi, surged down the right flank, and cut into the penalty area before unleashing a shot from an acute angle that narrowly cleared the crossbar.
Lee Man finally took the lead in the 64th minute when Samuel Rosa delivered an inch-perfect cross from the left wing, and Henri Anier met it with a clinical first-time finish, propelling Lee Man to a 2:1 lead.
BC Rangers mounted a late onslaught in search of an equalizer, with their best chance coming from a set-piece. Luiz Humberto's free-kick found Lau Chi Lok unmarked at the far post, whose powerful header was brilliantly parried by the keeper. In the ensuing goalmouth scramble, Barak Braunshtain attempted an acrobatic overhead kick, but the alert keeper was equal to it once again.
As the match progressed, Lee Man asserted their dominance on the pitch. In the 71st minute, Henri Anier latched onto a precise through ball from Simionato Paulo Sergio, but his effort sailed wide of the mark. The home side thought they had sealed the victory in the 83rd minute when Henri Anier connected with a defense-splitting pass from Everton Camargo and rifled a thunderous shot into the back of the net, only for the linesman's flag to cut short the celebrations, ruling the goal offside.
In the dying moments of the game, BC Rangers mounted one last assault, with Okamoto Akito unleashing a long-range effort after receiving a pass from Li Wing Ho, but his strike failed to trouble the goalkeeper, sailing harmlessly wide of the target.
Lee Man held firm in the dying embers of the match, successfully seeing out the game to secure a hard-fought 2:1 triumph over BC Rangers and claim all three points.