Kitchee met up with Eastern in Mong Kok Stadium on Sunday afternoon for the 2023-24 HKFA Senior Shield Final. Kitchee beat Eastern by 2:1 during the extra time and won the championship.
Kitchee met up with Eastern in Mong Kok Stadium on Sunday afternoon for the 2023-24 HKFA Senior Shield Final. Kitchee beat Eastern by 2:1 during the extra time and won the championship.
Eastern had a slight advantage at the beginning of the game. In the 18th minute, Yu Joy Yin Jesse's shot was saved by the goalkeeper, and Ma Hei Wai scored on the rebound. However, the referee ruled it as an offside and disallowed the goal.
Kitchee also had their chances. Ruslan Mingazov received a long pass and made a skillful move on the left side, passing the ball to Cleiton Velasques inside the penalty area, but it was blocked by the defender.
In the 25th minute, Baffoe Noah had another opportunity to shoot, but his shot was easily saved by the goalkeeper after causing chaos inside the penalty area.
Later, Eastern had their best chance of the first half. Leung Kwun Chung's powerful shot from the top of the penalty area was saved by the goalkeeper and hit the crossbar. Yu Joy Yin Jesse also attempted a long-range shot but missed the target. The first half ended with a 0:0 scoreline.
Eastern continued to dominate in the second half. Ma Hei Wai crossed from the right side, and Sun Ming Him's diving header was saved by the goalkeeper.
In the 62nd minute, it was Kitchee's turn. Ruslan Mingazov received a pass from Cleiton Velasques and took a shot from the top of the penalty area. The ball curved towards the corner, but the goalkeeper made a one-handed save.
Then, Eastern's Sun Ming Him made a speedy breakthrough on the right side and passed the ball to Baffoe Noah in front of the goal, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper.
In the 76th minute, Kitchee suffered a setback as Helio Goncalves received a second yellow card for excessive complaints and was sent off.
Following their numerical advantage, Eastern quickly mounted several attacks. Daniel Vera's header from Ma Hei Wai's cross was saved by the goalkeeper.
The game reached its climax in the last 5 minutes. In the 85th minute, Tamirlan Kozubaev was fouled in the penalty area by Roberto Orlando, and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Leung Kwun Chung converted the penalty to give Eastern a 1:0 lead.
Then, Yu Joy Yin Jesse took a corner from the right side, and Daniel Vera's header flew towards the corner, but once again, it was saved by the goalkeeper.
In injury time, Kitchee miraculously equalized. Tamirlan Kozubaev committed a handball inside the penalty area and was penalized with a penalty. He also received a second yellow card and was sent off. Charles Scott's calmly converted the penalty to make it 1:1.
With the score level at the end of extra time, Eastern had Baffoe Noah sent off with a red card in the second half of extra time.
Playing with only 9 men, Eastern finally conceded again in the 118th minute. Ruslan Mingazov received a clever pass from Cleiton Velasques and curled a shot into the far post inside the penalty area.
In the end, Kitchee emerged as the champions of the Senior Shield with a hard-fought 2:1 victory over Eastern after 120 minutes of play.