Kitchee met up with Tai Po in Mongkok Stadium on Saturday evening for the 2024-25 HKFA Senior Shield Quarter-Final match. Kitchee beat Tai Po by 3:1 and promote to semi-finals.

The match started cautiously, with both sides feeling each other out. It wasn't until the 22nd minute that the crowd saw the first real chance, as Guilherme Bitencourt's dangerous free-kick found Marcos Dos Santos, whose effort from a tight angle rattled the side netting.

Kitchee broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark. A partially cleared cross fell to Bae Jaewoo, who unleashed a thunderbolt from outside the box that nestled in the bottom corner, giving the goalkeeper no chance.

Kitchee doubled their advantage just before the interval. Ruslan Mingazov's brilliant interception and through ball set Sherzod Temirov free, who coolly rounded the keeper and slotted home, sending Kitchee into the break with a comfortable 2:0 lead.

Tai Po came out fighting in the second half and pulled one back in the 52nd minute. A pinpoint corner from Igor Sartori caused chaos in the box, and Gabriel Roberto pounced on a loose ball to fire home, injecting life back into the contest.

The underdogs thought they had equalized in the 62nd minute when Michel Renner bundled home a rebound, but their celebrations were cut short by the offside flag.

Kitchee weathered the storm and restored their two-goal cushion just moments later. Ruslan Mingazov, the architect of much of Kitchee's attacking play, turned scorer this time. He latched onto a long ball from Ngan Cheuk Pan, ghosted past two defenders, and rifled a left-footed strike into the far corner.

Both sides continued to create chances in an end-to-end affair. Michel Renner came close for Tai Po, while Kitchee's Luis Machado was denied by a goal-line clearance in the dying moments.

As the final whistle blew, Kitchee emerged victorious with a 3:1 scoreline, booking their place in the Senior Shield Cup semi-finals.

Kitchee 3:1 Tai Po