A small chapter of Hong Kong history was written last Sunday at Hong Kong Stadium, where many Kitchee players lifted the Senior Shield trophy for the very first time in their career. With their last triumph dating back to 2006, it has taken the club eleven years to get the prestigious silverware back, culminating in this revenge victory over rivals Eastern after being defeated by them in the 2014 final. Right from the start Kitchee looked like the better side and put constant pressure on the reigning champions, who struggled to gain a foothold in the game. Unsurprisingly, Kitchee took the lead in the first half when German-born Lam Zhi-gin headed the ball past Yapp Hung Fai. Ironically, Lam was a last-minute replacement for teammate Alex Akande who suffered an injury during the pre-match warm-up. Eastern’s midfield engine Miroslav Saric managed to equalise in the 54th minute, but Chan Yuen-ting’s men failed to use the momentum. Eventually, it was Jared Lum who scored the match winner in a 2:1 win for Kitchee, securing the first trophy of the season for his team.
This is the sixth Senior Shield title overall for Kitchee, who are now the fourth most successful club in the competition. However, it is yet to be seen if the Bluewaves can use this success to boost their title ambitions in the Hong Kong Premier League as well, which goes into the 13th round this weekend.
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