On Sunday, October 22nd, Southern advanced to this season’s Senior Shield semi final after beating Lee Man at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground, thanks to goals from Marcos de la Espada and Wellingsson de Souza in the first half. Lee Man tried to find back into the game in the second half, but Southern held on to ensure victory.
The Aberdeeners had a very good start into the match. At the 2nd minute, Che Renqiu’s long throw-in was met by Marcos de la Espada who headed in the first goal of the match. Lee Man’s defence was totally unaware of the throw-in and no one tried to clear the ball or mark the Spaniard.
After the goal, both sides struggled to produce chances, the closest being Jordi’s header at the 23rd minute from Lai Yiu-cheong’s free kick which went way off target. Actually, Lee Man was the team with more possession, but despite delivering numerous crosses into the box, most failed to find Denis Lima or Jordi.
Southern extended their lead at the 27th minute. Again, Che Renqiu initiated the action with a long throw-in and Lau Hok-ming headed the ball to the unmarked de Souza, who then scored from close range. Lee Man nearly got a goal back shortly after when Lima went past a few Southern players and attempted a shot from outside the box, but Tse Tak-him tipped the ball over the bar.
Meanwhile, Lee Man keeper Felix Luk entered the spotlight after several clumsy moves. The first one came after a shot from Lau Hok-ming which should have been as easy catch, but the ball slipped through Luk’s fingers. Fortunately for him, he could get hold of it on time before any damage was done. Five minutes later Felix Luk also misjudged a shot from Leung Tsz-chun and only managed to barely push it away.
At the 41st minute Lee Man had another chance when Lima cut in from the right side and passed the ball to unmarked Lai Yiu-cheong, but the Lee Man winger’s curling shot failed to find the target. As a result, Lee Man trailed behind Southern by two goals after the first half.
Lee Man was more active in the second half, they pressed higher up, hoping to get something from the match. However, their crossing was imprecise and they failed to create clear chances. Tse Long-him and substitute Stefan Pereira both attempted long shots at goal, but they were well off the mark. Wong Chun-hin had a chance in the box at the 63rd minute, but his shot hit Pereira first and then was easily collected by Tse Tak-him after that.
Southern on the other hand did not seem to bother to extend their lead, leaving Marcos de la Espada with little help up front. Southern’s Welingsson de Souza had one more chance at the 89th minute, but his shot went wide of the right post.
This means that Southern will now face Eastern in the Senior Shield semi final, which will be played in December.