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Thursday, March 15, 2018, 12:29
20-year-old makes history for Hong Kong in ACL
By Tobias Zuser
Thursday, March 15, 2018, 12:29 By Tobias Zuser

Kitchee's 1-0 win over Kashiwa Reysol is the first ever victory of a Hong Kong club in the ACL. (PHOTO COURTESY OF KITCHEE)

In a dramatic finish of Kitchee’s second home game in the Asian Champions League, 20-year-old substitute Cheng Chin-lung made history when his wonder strike found the back of the net in the 92nd minute. The 1-0 win for the Hong Kong champions over J-League side Kashiwa Reysol was the first ever victory for a Hong Kong team in this competition, while Cheng’s effort also marked the first goal ever scored by a Hong Kong born player. Last year, it was Spanish striker Manuel Bleda who scored Eastern’s one and only goal in the ACL, converting a penalty in a 1-1 draw with Kawasaki Frontale at MongKok Stadium. But by winning three points, Kitchee have already fulfilled their promise to outperform their local rivals in the Champions League, who finished their campaign with just one point in six games.

The evening started in perfect fashion for the hosts, when Kashiwa defender Kamekawa Masashiwas sent off after just 15 minutes after taking down Alex Akande. Although a harsh decision, it reminded many of a similar situation last year, when J-League side Kawasaki Frontale had to play most of the game in Hong Kong with just 10 men on the field.

From that moment on, Kitchee fancied their chances to gain their first points in the Champions League. For the second time in this tournament, coach Alex Chu Chi-kwong decided to start with a 4-4-2 formation, with eight players being committed to defend. With the game threatening to end in a 0-0 draw, Kashiwa brought in star striker Cristiano as well as Ito Junya, who scored the decisive goal in last week’s match in Japan. However, coach Chu was eyeing for a win himself and decided to bring in three attacking players, Paulinho, Jordi Tarres, and Cheng Chin-lung, while taking off two defenders. And this gamble eventually paid off.

Goalscorer Cheng Chin-lung pays tribute to the Kitchee fans after the match. (PHOTO COURTESY OF KITCHEE)

Two minutes into injury time, the 20-year-old and 5’5” tall winger won possession from Brazilian striker Ramon Lopes, cut into the box and lofted the ball into the far upper corner, leaving Kashiwa goalkeeper Kirihata Kazushige no chance. By scoring the decisive goal, Cheng Chin-lung also won the “Man of the Match” award, despite being in the game for just ten minutes.

What makes Cheng’s goal particularly meaningful is that he is a home-grown talent and a product of Hong Kong’s fledgling youth development efforts. Cheng was initially rejected by the Kitchee Academy, but his persistence paid off and he joined the youth team at the age of 10. At the beginning of this season, he was loaned out to Dreams FC in the Hong Kong Premier League, where he was given a place in the starting eleven. In January, Kitchee called him back for a potential appearance in the ACL, which turned out to be the right choice.

While fans in Hong Kong are celebrating the historic success in the Asian Champions League, domestic football will return this weekend with the last round of the Sapling Cup group stage.

Diego Forlan embraces Cheng Chin-lung after the decisive goal. (PHOTO COURTESY OF KITCHEE)

R&F v SOUTHERN, Sapling Cup Group B, Yuen Long Stadium, Mar 17, 2:30 pm

Neither R&F nor Southern can still qualify for the Sapling Cup semi-finals at this point, which allows both sides to use this occasion to experiment with their squads. R&F have just brought in a new coach for Marek Zajac following their latest 0-5 defeat to Eastern in the Hong Kong Premier League, and are currently still fightingfor a respectable mid-table finish. After a terrible start into the season, Southern have a similar goal. The recent 2-1 win against Lee Man should have provided the team with an additional confidence boost. Spanish striker Marcos de la Espada also keeps scoring and remains a hot contender for the golden boot award this year.

EASTERN v YUEN LONG, Sapling Cup Group A, MongKok Stadium, Mar 17, 5:30 pm

A similarly insignificant game will take place on Saturday afternoon between Eastern and Yuen Long at MongKok Stadium, although it would appear to be another exciting match between the two Senior Shield finalists. Particularly Yuen Long will have enough reason to prove themselves on the pitch, after suffering a late equalizer in the New Territories derby last week that left many fans disappointed. Chaos ensued after the refereeing team failed to announce the length of the stoppage time, while Yuen Long players claimed that goalkeeper Chan Ka-ho was fouled before Tai Po’s last minute goal. Eastern, on the other hand, have just beaten R&F 5-0 in the league and finally appear to have solidified their leaky defense, having conceded no goals in their last three matches.

KITCHEE v RANGERS, Sapling Cup Group B, Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground, Mar 18, 2:30 pm

After their historic Asian Champions League win, Kitchee will have to adjust to a different set of qualities this weekend, when they face bottom-of-the-league side Rangers. A win in this game would see Kitchee finishing top of the group, which means that they would face the easier opponent in the semi-finals, as current leader Pegasus have already finished all their group matches. Unfortunately, ACL hero Cheng Chin-lung will not be eligible to play, as he already participated in this competition when being on loan to Dreams.

LEE MAN v TAI PO, Sapling Cup Group A, Tsing Yi Sports Ground, Mar 18, 5:30 pm

Probably the most meaningful game this weekend will take place on Sunday between Lee Man and Tai Po. While the latter have already secured the first place in the group, the first still have a chance to claim the runners-up spot as long as they beat Tai Po in this mini-final. Despite having lost their last three games, Lee man beat Yuen Long in the Sapling Cup earlier this year. Forward Stefan Pereira is also in great form of late, and will certainly pose a constant threat to the Tai Po defense together with his Brazilian teammate Denis Lima.

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