On Sunday (October 26th) at Sham Shui Po Sports Ground, HKFC clinched their maiden three points of the campaign with a hard-fought 2:1 triumph over Kowloon City in the BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League.
HKFC broke the deadlock after just eight minutes when Jack Bennie's delivery from the left flank caught Valdenilson Azevedo flat-footed, and the winger capitalized on the defensive lapse to slot home from a tight angle, sending HKFC ahead.
Kowloon City responded two minutes later as Luiz Humberto tested the keeper with a fierce effort from inside the area, but his strike was kept out by a smart save.
HKFC doubled their advantage on 33 minutes after Kang Junhyeon was adjudged to have fouled Naveed in the box. Following a VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot, and LekovicAlexander Kedwards made no mistake from twelve yards to make it 2:0.
Kowloon City pressed for a lifeline before the interval, with Luiz Humnberto forcing a save from a narrow angle on 41 minutes. Moments later, his corner found Diego Eli unmarked, but his header rattled the woodwork and bounced clear.
HKFC took a commanding 2:0 lead into the break.
Kowloon City came out with renewed purpose after the restart and halved the deficit seven minutes into the second period. Kayron Ramos was bundled over by the keeper inside the box, and the striker dusted himself down to convert the resulting penalty, pulling it back to 1:2.
Kowloon City continued to pile on the pressure, with Kayron Ramos firing narrowly wide after latching onto a poor clearance. Luiz Humberto then tried his luck with a direct set-piece, but the keeper gathered comfortably.
Kowloon City thought they had found an equalizer on 76 minutes when Kayron Ramos tucked away Luiz Humberto's cross, only for VAR to chalk off the goal for offside.
Lightning struck twice for Kowloon City on 87 minutes as Kayron Ramos turned and finished superbly, but once again the flag went up and VAR confirmed the striker had strayed offside.
Deep into stoppage time, Kowloon City carved out one final chance when Lee Chun Ting whipped in a cross for Kang Junhyeon, but the keeper produced a stunning reflex save to deny the header.
HKFC held firm through a nervy finale to secure a vital 2:1 victory, picking up their first win of the season and all three points.