Eastern met up with Kowloon City in Mong Kok Stadium on Monday afternoon for the 2024-25 BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League clash. Eastern beat Kowloon City by 3:1.
In a thrilling BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League encounter at Mong Kok Stadium on Monday (May 5), Eastern emerged victorious with a convincing 3:1 triumph over Kowloon City to collect maximum points.
Eastern nearly drew first blood in the opening exchanges when Baffoe Noah unleashed a spectacular effort from range after a perfectly weighted through ball from Marcos Gondra down the left flank in the 9th minute, but his strike whistled inches wide of the upright.
Kowloon City threatened midway through the first period when Chan Man Fai's pinpoint corner delivery found the towering Kang Junhyeon, whose goal-bound header was dramatically cleared off the line by the alert Baffoe Noah.
As the first half drew to a close, both sides created gilt-edged opportunities, with Eastern's Aleksander Mitrovic coming agonizingly close in the 39th minute after being teed up by Leung Kwun Chung, but his thunderous left-footed drive from the edge of the area failed to trouble the keeper.
The deadlock was finally broken just before the interval when Eastern's Gu Bin whipped in an inviting cross from the left flank, allowing Lee Chun Ting to execute a magnificent diving header that nestled into the back of the net.
However, the celebrations were short-lived as Kowloon City orchestrated an immediate response. Hui Ka Lok's precise delivery from the right found Ho Long Ho, who cleverly nodded the ball across goal for Yang Chao Jing to power home with a clinical header past the stranded goalkeeper.
The teams headed into the dressing rooms all square at 1:1 after an action-packed first half.
Eastern came out firing on all cylinders after the restart, and their persistence paid dividends in the 57th minute when Baffoe Noah rose highest to meet Leung Kwun Chung's perfectly flighted corner, powering his header home to restore their advantage.
Eastern continued to press forward and carved out another golden opportunity in the 70th minute when Leung Kwun Chung's precise long-range pass found Baffoe Noah, who cleverly set up Victor Bertomeu, but the striker's effort with his left boot drifted agonizingly wide of the target.
The decisive moment came in the 88th minute when disaster struck for Kowloon City's Willian Leonardo, who was penalized for handball in the area following a VAR review. Baffoe Noah stepped up to coolly dispatch the spot-kick with his left foot, completing his brace and giving Eastern a commanding two-goal cushion.
In the dying moments, Eastern nearly added more gloss to the scoreline when Baffoe Noah picked out Ma Hei Wai in a promising position, but his powerful right-footed effort sailed over the crossbar.
The final whistle confirmed Eastern's impressive 3:1 victory over Kowloon City, with the hosts putting in a dominant display to secure all three points in this crucial league fixture.