Entertaining draw with North District, big win away at Kowloon City and Movember campaigning starts

By Adam O'Domhnaill

This week has seen Kitchee play their first official home game against North District, ending in a thrilling 3-3 draw. We also travelled to Kowloon City and won convincingly. In between, Angry Boundary Street's campaigning for men's health, working with Movember and the Hong Kong Cancer Fund got underway. Find out more later on in the article.

Kitchee 3 North District 3

Lineup

There was still no Illarramendi, with his return waiting again. Kitchee made two changes from last week's draw at Tai Po, with Mingazow and Juninho's energy off the bench earning them starts for Kitchee's first home game of the season. Kendy and Jordan dropped to the bench. Impressive youngster Ari Lam started for the third game in a row. Kitchee sought revenge on North District who knocked them out of the Senior Shield in September.

Wang; Ari Lam (Law 61), Riera, Dantas, Beattie; Lok (c), Martinez (Chan 85); Kanda (Kendy 69), Juninho (Jordan 61), Mingazow, Adrian

Unused subs: Haddow, Lung, Tuscany, Slattery, Jason Kam, Li Siu-hin

Match events

Martinez went close for Kitchee, with Granada going close for North District. It was all Kitchee to start, with Juninho and Martinez going close. Juninho's cross caused problems but couldn't be poked in, and he had a goal ruled out for a questionable offside decision. As the halfway point of the half approached Wong Chun-ho inadvertently diverted the ball past his own keeper, before Granada equalised soon after, also from a freekick. Mingazow's cross was headed goalwards by Juninho, but the keeper proved equal to it. As the second half started North District pushed on, with Villalobos giving them the lead with a long range effort. Substitute Jordan Lam, formerly of North District, opened his Kitchee account moments later, heading in Mingazow's cross. Some good linkup play on the right saw Mingazow give Kitchee the lead with just over ten minutes left, and Martinez almost scored a fourth. But two minutes from time North District pegged Kitchee back, as North District's fancy freekick routine caught Kitchee off guard, allowing Jahangir Khan to score from outside of the box and level the scores. Two draws in a row for Kitchee, but they are second with a game in hand on first placed North District.

Kowloon City 0 Kitchee 5

Team news

Kitchee made three changes, with Dantas suspended with two of his yellow cards last season carrying over to join his three this campaign. Jason Kam Chi-kin stepped in at centre back, with Kendy replacing the injured Mingazow in midfield, and Law came in at right back. Illarramendi and Kim Shin-wook both came off the bench; Illarramendi for his debut and Wookie for his first league game in nearly 800 days (when he scored a hat trick against HKFC in August 2023).

Wang; Law, Riera, Jason, Beattie; Martinez, Lok (c) (Illarramendi 74); Kanda (Li 64), Kendy (Lung 64), Juninho (Haddow 64), Adrian (Kim 64)

Unused subs: Tuscany, Slattery, A Chan, Ari, Cheung

Match events

Kanda pressed hard and won the ball, but he fired wide, before Juninho's corner hit Martinez and was easily dealt with. Just past halfway through the half, Riera found Adrian with a long pass, and he played in Martinez down the right. Martinez then slowed down play, and cut it back for Adrian to head home for his fifth goal of the season. Adrian and Martinez linked up again, setting up to Juninho to double the lead just before half time. In the eleven minutes after half time, Kitchee ran riot, with Adrian and Martinez heavily involved; Adrian floated the ball in, Martinez had a shot saved, and then Kanda finished off the rebound. Soon afterwards Kanda crossed from the right, Adrian and Martinez challenged for it, and Juninho tapped in at the back post. Four minutes later Juninho scored again, as Martinez and Kanda played him in for his hat trick, the first by a Kitchee player since September 2024 when Sherzod Temirov scored one off the bench against Kowloon City. The comfortable lead allowed Calderon to empty the bench, with Kitchee's front four being brought off with twenty five minutes to go, and Tan Chun-lok getting a well-earned rest later on. We saw the veterans Kim Shin-wook (first HKPL game for over two years) and Asier Illarramendi (Kitchee debut) both come on, along with cameos for players who haven't featured as much in recent weeks.

Fans feedback

The team is very good going forward, but did ship three goals to North District for the second time this season. That being said, they are a very good side who have impressed a lot of observers this season. We're seeing Calderon being prepared to mix things up and make changes between games as well as during, with different players being used in different roles rather than the rigidity we saw from previous coaches who tended to start the same eleven most weeks. We're seeing Adrian drop deep which does sometimes leave us light on options in the box, although at Kowloon City we saw Juninho, Martinez and Kanda push up more and give us options. The comfortable nature of Sunday's win meant Adrian, Kendy, Kanda and Juninho could all get twenty-five minutes rest.

What's next for Kitchee?

We take on Southern District on Saturday in Aberdeen, 3pm kick off. This is soon followed by two home games for Hong Kong in the November. There is a friendly vs Cambodia on the 13th (Hong Kong Stadium) and the winner takes all Asian Cup Qualifier vs Singapore on the 18th at Kai Tak. Four Kitchee players were named in Hong Kong's 34 man preliminary squad. Regulars Tan Chun-lok and Juninho were selected as expected, with Callum Beattie getting his first international callup, after completing the naturalisation process in August. But the biggest surprise was Wang Zhenpeng getting a recall, having not played for Hong Kong since June 2022, and if he plays any part in either game he would become Hong Kong's oldest ever player.

Some of our fans are fundraising for men's health throughout this month, moving as much distance as possible for men's health, alongside Movember and the Hong Kong Cancer Fund. More details are on our social media pages. So far we have collectively moved 150km and raised £47/HK$480.

Movember 

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Please follow us on social media to stay up to date with the latest Kitchee news. We're approaching 550 followers on Instagram and are at over 400 on Facebook. Facebook Instagram

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Match highlights

Perfect league record ends as 10-man Tai Po hang on- Tai Po 1 Kitchee 1

Summary

Kitchee's unbeaten league start continued as they came away from Tai Po with a draw. A very dull first half was followed by a much more exciting second, as both teams scored just after the hour mark. The final twenty minutes of normal time plus the additional sixteen minutes stoppage time saw a red card, a disallowed goal, and a ridiculous amount of unpunished timewasting by the defending champions. Kitchee will probably feel the win was there, but given the tough fixtures to start the season, emerging with ten points from twelve can be seen as a success.

Team news

Calderon made four changes to the starting line-up from last week's League Cup victory. He kept the 3-4-3 formation, but brought in Wang in goal, Dantas and Beattie into central defence and captain Tan Chun-lok into midfield. Enikar, Law, Jason and Lung dropped to the bench. There was no long-awaited debut for Illarramendi, and after his goalscoring cameo last week Kim Shin-wook was also in the stands. Seventeen year old Ari Lam continued at right wing back for his league debut.

Wang, Riera, Dantas, Beattie (Juninho 65); Ari Lam (Law 65), Martinez (Mingazow 46), Lok (c), Jordan, Kanda (Lung 87), Kendy (Li Siu-hin 87), Adrian

Unused subs: Tuscany, Haddow, Slattery, Jason, Chan Shing-chun

Match events

Early on Adrian almost latched onto a ball into the box, and he went close again, blasting over. Tai Po went close when Law Chun-ting hit the bar from range. Martinez had a shot blocked, which looked like handball, VAR denying Kitchee's appeals as Adrian was marginally offside in the buildup. Former Kitchee man Ngan Cheuk-pan went close with a free kick, but a largely uneventful first half ended 0-0.

Mingazow came on for the cautioned Martinez at half time, with Tai Po making two changes, including Kitchee legend Fernando. Paulinho went close for Tai Po, before Adrian was denied by a great save. Just after the hour Kitchee failed to deal with a high cross in, and despite Wang making a good save to deny Fernando, substitute Renner headed in the rebound. Calderon instantly brought Law and Juninho on, and within minutes Kanda's cross from the right was buried home by Adrian for his 4th goal in 4 games. Tan Chun-lok was later cut in half by a poor tackle. After initially giving a yellow, following the VAR advice the referee upgraded it to a red. Not long afterwards Juninho wonderfully controlled and scored from Kanda's pass, but the linesman's flag and VAR came to Tai Po's rescue, ruling it out.

The final stages became a bit farcical, with Tse Ka-wing going down repeatedly, and Lee Lok-him taking an age over every single throw in down the Tai Po right. Fans were stunned that the officiating team gave sixteen added minutes, although the timewasting continued. Dantas went close with a late free kick, but on balance a draw is a good result for Kitchee.

Fan feedback

Kitchee could and probably should've won especially with Tai Po resting so many key players before the ACL 2 clash with Beijing Guoan. At the start of the game most fans would have taken the point to extend the unbeaten league run. In the second half Tai Po sat very deep and wasted a lot of time, somehow not being punished for any other offences. On multiple occasions Tai Po's players surrounded the referee, but somehow the only card given for dissent all game was to Kendy after Tai Po had their man sent off. Kitchee should have dealt with tai po's goal better, and need to get bodies into the box- Adrian is doing well, but if he drifts wide to pickup the ball we need to get men in the box, as well as working out how to break down low blocks. Youngster Ari Lam had a solid game at wing back, and fellow teenager Li Siu-hin provided energy but is still quite raw. 

What's next

North District at home on 26th October at 6pm. The first official home game of the season. Let's hope that Kitchee can maintain the unbeaten start to the league campaign.

Throughout November, Kitchee will be supporting men's health initiatives alongside Movember and the Hong Kong Cancer Fund, by moving as much as possible, including walking to Kitchee games during the months. Keep an eye on our socials for details of our fundraising campaigns. If anyone would like to join our efforts, please get in touch with us on Instagram.

Please follow us on social media to stay up to date with the latest Kitchee news. We recently passed 500 followers on Instagram and are at over 400 on Facebook. Facebook Instagram

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Match highlights

One cup win, one cup defeat, Wookie returns and two crucial games for Hong Kong

Its been a busy few weeks, with Kitchee taking part in two domestic cup competitions, and Hong Kong having two crucial games with Bangladesh. Read our reports below to find out how the boys got on.

Summary

Kitchee 2 North District 3

Team news

Photo by Scoop

Kitchee made two changes to the starting lineup, with Tan Chun-lok returning from suspension and Juninho coming in from the bench, with Law and Lung making way. Mingazow was rested with an eye on bigger games ahead. Haddow dropped back to right back allowing Lok to move into midfield, and Illarramendi continued to watch from the bench.

Wang; Haddow, Riera, Dantas, Beattie (Law 69); Martinez, Lok (c), Juninho; Kanda (Lung 60), Adrian, Kendy (Jordan 77)

Match highlights

Photo by Scoop

Wang had to be alert early, making a few early saves, before Kendy and Martinez both went close to giving Kitchee the lead. After a mixup in midfield, Haddow's last gasp tackle kept it 0-0. Five minutes before the break Vinicius gave North District the lead with a tapin, as Wang could only parry out Kayke David's longshot. But right on the verge of half time Adrian Revilla got his second goal in two games, heading in Beattie's outstanding cross from deep on the left hand side. In stoppage time Leandro Martinez was fouled, and Adrian converted to give Kitchee a fortunate lead. In the second half Wang kept Kitchee ahead with numerous saves, before Kitchee blew the chance to extend the lead. Rather than shooting Adrian selflessly laid the ball off to Juninho, who fired wide. More saves were needed from Wang as North District were relentless, and going into the last ten minutes Kitchee were still narrowly in front. North District got a slightly fortunate penalty for a foul by Martinez, converted by substitute Weverton. Two minutes later some pinball in the Kitchee box allowed Granada to fire home a winner, and they could have further extended the lead in the dying moments. Kitchee will leave disappointed with North District's late comeback, but the men from Sheung Shui played very well and had many more chances throughout the game, although they did pick up seven bookings for some tactical fouling, particularly towards the end of the game.

League Cup

Team news

Photo by SportsRoad

Kitchee made six changes from the Senior Shield clash. Tan Chun-lok and Juninho were off with Hong Kong, and Jay Haddow had a minor leg injury. Wang, Dantas and Beattie also dropped to the bench. In their place, Enikar came in for a debut, with Jason Kam making his first start of the season, and seventeen year old Ari Lam playing only his second senior game. Cheng Chin-lung, Jordan Lam and Law Tsz-chun also came in. The bigger excitement was on the bench, with Illarramendi making his first match day squad for Kitchee, and Kim Shin-wook in a Kitchee squad for the first time in nearly two years. Bear remained out although is set to return in the next month or so.

Enikar; Law (c), Jason (Beattie 67), Riera; Ari, Lung (Siu Hin 67), Martinez, Jordan; Kanda (Kim 85), Adrian (Slattery 79), Kendy

Match highlights

Credits to Sing Tao

Law dawdled on the ball, and Ibrahim broke, but smart goalkeeping and defenders rushing back prevented disaster. Kitchee played a long ball forward which the Rangers keeper headed away, and Kanda's first time effort from range drifted harmlessly wide. Rangers definitely favoured a direct approach, and Lau Chi-lok went close. Martinez and Ari Lam both saw efforts saved, before Kanda missed an open goal on the rebound, after Adrian's shot was saved.

Soon after halftime, a nice 1-2 between Kanda and Adrian saw Kanda give Kitchee the lead. But a hospital pass from riera saw lung easily dispossessed, and Kitchee were fortunate Ibrahim couldn't finish. With fifteen minutes to go Adrian and Kanda linked up again, with the latter crossing for Kendy to score. Rangers pushed but could not get back into the game. With five minutes remaining the biggest cheer of the afternoon came when Kim Shin-wook made his first senior Kitchee appearance in over 18 months, and in stoppage time he headed in Kendy's corner sparking slightly ironic celebrations in the crowd. The game ended 3-0, and Kitchee advance to take on Kowloon City in the semifinals in March

Fan feedback

Fans were generally not too worried about exiting the Senior Shield, as much bigger trophies are still in play. Some thought Calderon's substitutions were a bit naive and invited pressure, and there was less scope to push on after they scored twice late on. Kitchee couldn't get much going.

Photo by Scoop

For the League Cup, it is also not really seen as a major trophy, but fans were happy that fringe players got a run out. Kitchee were exposed for a pace a bit at the back, but the attacking trio of Adrian, Kendy and Kanda combined repeatedly, with all three assisting and the latter two scoring. With no Mingazow and Juninho this week, it shows Kitchee have a bit more depth and there is less need to run those players into the ground. The goalscoring return of Kim Shin-wook shocked a lot of fans, and it remains to be seen how much more he may feature this season. Post match comments suggested he will retire at the end of the season, but also showed that Calderon was keen to use him provided Wookie's desire was still there. The celebrations from his teammates showed that no matter the complications of his time at the club, he is a popular figure in the squad.

Bangladesh 3 Hong Kong 4 

A crazy game saw Hong Kong conceding and scoring in stoppage time to win. Juninho played the whole game, while Lok was brought off in stoppage time.

Hong Kong 1 Bangladesh 1

A much less chaotic match in the boisterous atmosphere of a closed-roof Kai Tak. Juninho started (playing 86 mins), alongside six former Kitchee players. One of these, Matt Orr, captained and scored a first half penalty while another, Oli Gerbig, saw red for two bookable offences, which was Hong Kong's first red card since Tan Chun-lok (who came on for the final fifteen minutes) was sent off against Lebanon nearly eight years ago.

What's next

Tai Po away. A game with a lot on the line against the defending champions. Winning in early 2025 was only Kitchee's second win there in over seven years, albeit for some of that time Tai Po were in the second tier. Perhaps we will see the long-awaited debut of Asier Illarramendi, as Kitchee look to continue to push forward in the league.

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Kitchee vs North District highlights

Kitchee vs Rangers highlights

Bangladesh vs Hong Kong highlights

Hong Kong vs Bangladesh highlights

Kitchee survive late Lee Man onslaught to maintain perfect start- Lee Man 2 Kitchee 3

Written by Adam O'Domhnaill

Wenweipo

After four and a half years, Kitchee finally won a league game against Lee Man. Goals from Kendy and Kanda just before half time set the platform, before Adrian got off the mark with less than twenty minutes to go. Lee Man rallied, scoring twice in the last ten minutes, but Kitchee held firm for what could prove to be a monumental victory come the end of the season.

Team news

Sportsroad

Bear remained injured, while Tan Chun-lok was suspended after his harsh red card last week. Big name signing Asier Illarramendi continued to watch from the stands as he builds his fitness after his time out of the game. Kitchee made three changes, with Haddow, Lung and Kanda coming in for Lok, Juninho and Mingazow. Cheng Chin-lung captained the side for the first time, despite Law Tsz-chun taking the armband after Lok's sending off last week, and captaining the club on eight previous occasions.

Wang; Law, Riera, Dantas, Beattie; Haddow (Jason 61), Lung (c) (Juninho 61), Martinez; Kendy (Jordan 73), Adrian (Slattery 82), Kanda (Mingazow 73)

Unused subs: Buddle, Tuscany, Chan Shing-chun, Li Siu-hin, Lam Pak-yin

Match highlights

Ultrasbluewave

A very wet day at Mong Kok, but still over 1600 fans were in attendance. Wang had to be alert early to deny Barak Braunshtain and Cy Goddard, before Baffoe's dangerous cross evaded everyone. Martinez went close from a freekick, before controversy arose towards the end of the first half, as poor work on the ball from Kitchee saw Everton break through, being fouled by Riera with no one covering. Arguably Riera was extremely fortunate to avoid a red card first time around, and VAR agreed with the referee which wound up a number of Lee Man players. This sparked Kitchee into life, and with the weather rendering tikitaka ineffective, Kanda played it long to Martinez who had come out to the right hand side. His cross was met by Kendy running into the box late. Minutes later Kitchee doubled their advantage. A Kitchee corner was cleared away, but good recycling of possession from Lung and Beattie teed up Kendy on the left wing, and his right footed cross was headed in by Kanda. Despite the linesman's flag, VAR allowed the goal giving Kitchee a remarkable 2-0 lead.

Scoop

Wang denied Baffoe as the ever-worsening pitch made the second half a complete mess with no chances of note. Adrian Revilla became the third Kitchee player to open their account when he scored after Kitchee's corner was not cleared. Former Kitchee man Poon Pui-hin went close, before Lee Man grabbed two consolation goals. After good work by Everton, William Gaucho's shot was deflected in, and then Poon's cross was inadvertently diverted in by Law for an own goal, and Kitchee fans were tense for the closing stages. Two counter attacks almost saw Mingazow secure the win, but he was denied by Chan Ka-ho twice, and Kitchee held on for a memorable victory.

Fan feedback

HK01

Kitchee rode out the first half storm as Lee Man's attack sought to cause chaos, and began to looked imperious as the first half came to an end. There were some slipups at the end but Kitchee held on, with Calderon's substitutes freshening up the lineup. Kitchee were able to adapt better to the weather conditions, not being afraid to go a bit more direct. Keeping Mingazow and Juninho back until the second half is a welcome change from previous managers who seemed intent (although hamstrung by a lack of options) of burning these players into the ground. Mingazow turns 34 in November, and Juninho 35 in December, and both players are critical to Kitchee's success, so being able to rotate them and reduce their risk of injury and burnout will hopefully pay off long term. A couple of cup games await before a title crunch game with Tai Po in mid-October, which we hope Illarramendi is fit to start for.

What's next and other news

Scmp/Edmond So

North District in the Senior Shield. 6.30pm Sunday 28th September at Tsing Yi. No league games until after the October international break. Teenage centre back Yu Ching-wai has become the latest Kitchee youngster to move temporarily on loan to the lower leagues in Spain, following in the footsteps of Shinichi Chan and Jason Yuen Chun-him. Following this we take on Rangers in the League Cup during the international break (unlimited foreigners allowed) before the crunch league game against Tai Po in October.

Please follow us on social media to stay up to date with the latest Kitchee news. We recently passed 500 followers on Instagram and are at over 400 on Facebook.

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Match highlights

Scrappy win secures another narrow Kitchee win with big name signing watching on- Eastern District 0 Kitchee 1

Credits to Scoop

Written by Adam O'Domhnaill

Kitchee secured a second consecutive 1-0 away win through Leandro Martinez's late penalty. In a game where Kitchee played over an hour with ten men after Tan Chun-lok's early red card. It wasn't pretty but it got the job done.

Credits to Kitchee

Kitchee confirmed the signing of Asier Illarramendi on Wednesday night. The thirty-five year old Spanish midfielder arrives in Hong Kong having been a free agent since the start of 2025. He played almost a hundred times for Real Madrid (winning the Champions League in 2014) and played over two hundred and fifty times for Real Sociedad. He last played for FC Dallas, and has three caps for the Spanish national team, while he also won the under 21 Euros. Unfortunately we did not see him in action on Sunday, as the player was awaiting confirmation on his work permit and getting into good condition after so long out of the game. Chen Ngo-hin moved on loan to Southern, following previous loan spells in 22-23 and 23-24. We wish him the best, whatever the future holds.

Team news

Photo by Scoop

Calderon made three changes to the starting lineup, with Haddow, Lung and Jordan dropping out and Law, Martinez and Juninho coming in. Pong Cheuk-hei (Bear) remains out with a shoulder injury, and unlikely to be back before November, and the aforementioned work permit issues (and conditioning) meant Illarramendi watched on from the stands.

Wang; Law (Jason 45), Riera, Dantas, Beattie (Jordan 65), Lok (c), Mingazow, Martinez (Haddow 88), Juninho (Kanda 65), Kendy (Lung 30), Adrian

Unused subs: Buddle, Tuscany, Slattery, Chan Shing-chun, Li Siu-hin, Lam Pak-yin, Cheung Yiu-hin

Match highlights

Photo by Scoop

Martinez went wide early on, as Kitchee dominated the opening exchanges. But this changed in the26th minute, when Wang's poor pass went straight to Sri Lankan international Wazeem Razeek, and Tan Chun-lok fouled him as he neared the box. The referee showed a straight red card, presumably believing Lok to be the last man (despite Riera looking as if he could cover). There was no VAR at this game as HKFA does not possess the infrastructure or personnel to man multiple games at once, meaning Lok was not reprieved. Kendy was sacrificed for Cheng Chin-lung on the half hour mark to give Kitchee another body in midfield. Eastern District went close from the resulting free kick, and grew into the game, with Kitchee fans frustrated at half time.

Photo by Yin

Jason Kam came on for Law Tsz-chun as Kitchee seemed to switch to a lopsided three at the back formation, and a goalmouth scramble at a corner saw Riera go closest to poking Kitchee in front. Adrian missed a sitter where any goalbound touch would've surely found the net. As the game wore on fans got more irate, before Jordan Lam was taken out inside the box while attempting to reach Mingazow's cross in the dying moments. On his first start Leandro Martinez fired the penalty home, and Kitchee had the lead. But more lax defensive passing saw Haddow under pressure, and he passed it straight to former Chinese Super League forward Cesar Lobi Manzoki, who skied a simple chance, and Kitchee got out of jail. Scrappy and tense, but three points is three points.

Debut watch

Yumemi Kanda- decent cameo off the bench trying to get Kitchee going. Probably the most likely foreign player to drop out of the squad in the coming weeks with the recent arrival of Asier Illarramendi.

Fan feedback

Photo by Ultras Bluewave

Lots to work on moving forward, but two wins from two is a good start, especially with two clean sheets. Hopefully the nature of the wins means Kitchee won't get too complacent and recognise the shortcomings. It was a resilient display with ten men where they still had a lot of the ball, but some really careless errors in possession (one leading to the red card, and one should have lead to an equaliser). Calderon was not afraid to make changes, sacrificing Kendy early to balance the midfield (despite much of Kitchee's play coming down the left) and bringing on Jason Kam to switch to a back three. It did seem strange that after a couple of years of seeing Helio get pressed by opposition forwards, Kitchee did not look to exploit this during the game. The red card was harsh and HKFA rules mean while it can be appealed (with VAR not in action at this game), the relevant committee does not meet until after our game with Lee Man next week, so it seems he must serve the ban regardless.

Photo by Scoop

Fans are not the biggest fans of Siu Sai Wan, being a cavernous stadium- having nearly twelve thousand seats). But they were impressed by the efforts of the Eastern District staff to make the environment family friendly and increase the attendance, with additional transport links, carnival games and better refreshments than LCSD grounds normally deliver. It clearly worked with over two and a half thousand people through the doors on a hot Sunday afternoon with another HKPL game at HKFC (a much easier ground to travel to for the neutral fan), which had less than 700 fans. It should be noted that there have already been three Hong Kong Premier League games this season with over two thousand fans, suggesting a bounce from previous levels. Both of Kitchee's games so far (albeit 'away' games for us) and Lee Man vs Tai Po had bigger attendances than any game in the league since May 2023. Can the HKPL maintain this high fan engagement moving forward, building on from forty thousand plus who saw Hong Kong beat India at Kai Tak Stadium in June

Other news

Photo by HKFA

Hong Kong played two friendlies in Thailand last week, participating in the King's Cup. In the first game against Iraq, former Kitchee striker Matt Orr gave Hong Kong a shock lead from the penalty spot, after Juninho was fouled, before two late goals from an Iraqi substitute sealed the win for the team ranked 89 places higher than Hong Kong. Juninho and Tan Chun-lok played 75 and 86 minutes respectively. Hong Kong then played Fiji in the third place playoff, where Fiji's two early red cards made it something of a walkover. Juninho got two goals and an assist in the first half before being withdrawn at half time, while Tan Chun-lok was an unused substitute. 

Photo by HKFA

Hong Kong U23 took on Iran, the UAE and Guam in qualifying for the U23 Asian Cup, Haddow and Slattery started as Hong Kong held out for 70 minutes against Iran, before capitulating 4-0. In the second game against the UAE Hong Kong lost 2-0, with Haddow and Slattery starting again, and Chen Ngo-hin on as a late substitute. The third game saw Hong Kong beat Guam 1-0. Jay Haddow was sent off early in the second half, with Slattery playing half an hour off the bench as Hong Kong held on to win, but were eliminated.

What's next

Lee Man 'away' at Mong Kok on the 20th, 4pm kickoff. We will also face North District in the Senior Shield quarterfinal on Sunday 28th September at Tsing Yi. We will be without Bear in goal again, and Tan Chun-lok through suspension, but it is possible we will see Asier Illarramendi make his debut, subject to sorting his work permit and being in good condition, after so long out.

Please follow us on social media to stay up to date with the latest Kitchee news. We recently passed 500 followers on Instagram and are at over 400 on Facebook.

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Match highlights

Kitchee emerge victorious from derby day season opener- Eastern 0 Kitchee 1

Written by Adam O'Domhnaill

Kitchee won their season opener in the first game under Inigo Calderon as Cheng Chin-lung's first half header proved the difference between the sides. The 2700 fans were not deterred by the heavy rain shower just before kickoff, and this was the highest HKPL attendance since May 2023.

Team news

Kitchee handed debuts to four of the new signings, with Beattie and Riera in defence, Kendy in midfield and Adrian up front. The second half saw debuts for Leandro Martinez and Chan Shing-chun, along with a league debut for Cheung Yiu-hin, as Calderon put his trust in young players to get the job done. 

Wang; Haddow (Law 74), Riera, Dantas, Beattie; Lok (c) (Adrian Chan 74), Lung (Martinez 59); Mingazow (Cheung 61), Kendy, Jordan (Juninho 59), Adrian

Unused subs: Kanda, Hin, Buddle, Tuscany, Jason, Li Siu-hin, Ari Lam

Match events

An early long ball from Wang found Adrian, whose shot was blocked. Jay Haddow missed a header from a crossfield ball which allowed Gil Martins to run through on goal, but Roger Riera got the block in. Mingazow's cross from the right was met by Adrian, but his flick goalwards was saved by Yapp. But just after the half hour mark Kitchee got the breakthrough; Jay Haddow made an underlapping run inside Mingazow, who played him in. Haddow's cross was headed in by Cheng Chin-lung of all people, for his first goal in over three years. Just before half time Adrian and Mingazow teed up Kendy, but he was denied by Yapp, who single-handedly kept the score at 1-0 through a number of sharp first half saves.

Early in the second half Eastern's veteran captain Leung Chun-pong hit the crossbar after Kitchee didn't deal with a corner. Then Kitchee's subs got involved; Juninho's left footed curler got tipped over, before seventeen year old Cheung Yiu-hin drove through the Eastern defence and forced a stop from Yapp. At only 1-0 Kitchee fans were counting down the minutes to full time; while Kitchee had been the better team, they had not hammered home the advantage. Eastern's last chance for an equaliser came when Gondra's freekick was palmed away by Wang, and Kitchee scrambled the rebound away. Three points and a clean sheet to begin the Calderon era.

Fans feedback

A lot of fans were happy for Cheng Chin-lung, after he scored his first league goal for three years. By no means was it a perfect performance but there were a lot of positive signs from the side. Fans very happy with Calderon's trust in the youth- Chan Shing-chun and Cheung Yiu-hin  helped see out the win and did not look overawed, and it has been too long for a Kitchee coach to trust young players in big games, and not just for short cameos. The two youngsters were brave and battled hard and hopefully we see more in the coming weeks. Over the past three seasons teenagers have only played 136 minutes in the league for Kitchee, so hopefully this increased trust continues. Wang's distribution was very good (and in a welcome change, a Kitchee goalkeeper was allowed to go route one on occasion) and Tan Chun-lok dominated midfield, although a few other players probably need some time to bed in properly, whether they are new signings or playing new roles.

Debut watch

Roger Riera. Assured at the back with some good blocks and covered for slips from the rest of the defence

Adrian Revilla. Good work rate, and his physical presence allowed Kitchee to go direct. Got stuck in and drifted wide to allow others to lead the press. Dropped deep to receive the ball and went close to scoring.

Kendy. Possibly not fully fit, but looked bright. Got into good positions and linked well with other attackers.

Leandro Martinez. Recent signing on as a sub, probably needs time to adapt. The chemistry with other teammates will come over the coming weeks.

Callum Beattie. Solid at left back, dealt with threats down the Eastern right and passed well. Arguably a contender for man of the match

Chan Shing-chun. Surprising sub for captain Tan Chun-lok with 15 minutes still to play. Did not look like an eighteen year old making his pro debut.

What's next

International duty, with the Hong Kong team going to Thailand to participate in the King's Cup, a four-way competition with two semi finals, a third place play off and a final. They play Iraq on Thursday, and then either Thailand or Fiji on Sunday, depending on the result against Iraq, with Tan Chun-lok and Juninho named in the squad. The under 23s travel to Abu Dhabi for the Asian Cup qualifiers, where they will take on Iran, the UAE and Guam. Jay Haddow and Matthew Slattery have been called up, and there was a late callup for Chen Ngo-hin.

For Kitchee we next play on Sunday 14th, away at newcomers Eastern District at Siu Sai Wan. This week they announced the signing of Leon Jones, who joins a huge former Kitchee contingent both on and off the pitch.

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Match highlights

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Thailand Preseason roundup

24 of the 28 man first team squad travelled to Thailand, with Pong Cheuk-hei (injured until October), Kim Shin-wook, Jason Yuen Chun-him and Yu Ching-wai all missing out. The club played T1 side Chiangrai United and T2 side Kasetstart FC, drawing against the former and conceding a last minute winner to the latter.

Law Tsz-chun and Ruslan Mingazow missed the first game against Chiangrai United, with Wang Zhenpeng captaining and a first Kitchee appearance from the start for Kanda. Slattery went close early, before a quick free kick caught Kitchee's defence off guard. Wang brought down the forward in the box, and Chiangrai took the lead from the spot. Kanda went close, but Chiangrai came close to extending their lead on a couple of occasions before half time, where a number of changes were made, including first games for Riera, Adrian, Beattie and Kendy. New signing Adrián Revilla went close from range early doors, before good work down the left from Li Siu-hin and Adrián played in Juninho to equalise. Little happened after this, and the 1-1 draw was probably a fair result, with a much-improved Kitchee second half.

The second game against Kasetstart FC saw Calde make six changes to the starting lineup, with Anikar, Beattie, Tan Chun-lok, Juninho, Cheung Yiu-hin and Adrian Revilla starting. An early defensive mix-up almost allowed an early goal for our opponents, before Cheung Yiu-hin thought he might have had a penalty after being pulled down. Both sides had chances to take the lead, with Kasetstart probably the stronger of the two as the first half ended. Early in the second half Juninho cut in from the right to score a lovely goal, his second in preseason. But soon after Buddle was caught out on halfway, and the resulting counter saw Kitchee concede an equaliser. Slattery went close twice; first a tight offside ruled out his goal, before he blazed over with the goal at his mercy. As the game drew to a close Kasetstart carved Kitchee open to score a last minute winner.

It is always hard to know how much to read into preseason fixtures. Kitchee's travelling twenty four man squad included five of the six new signings, plus four youngsters promoted from the academy. You also had a number of players with very limited experience with the Kitchee first team squad. Mingazow did not feature in the first matchday squad, while Law Tsz-chun missed both games- we assume this is due to injury. Combined with a new coach with limited time to work with the players, you can therefore see positives even if Kitchee were winless. Lots of different combinations were used, with the flexibility allowing previously subbed players to come back on meaning Calde got to see how players worked together, which will go a long way towards working out the best starting line up to play his style of football. The club also played a behind closed doors game which further allowed opportunities for players to impress. From the two televised games, fans noted that the younger players look sharper and more ready for senior football than in previous years, and with a smaller squad they are likely to get opportunities, especially if no more signings come in.

Chiangrai highlights

Kasetstart highlights

25/26 season

Still nothing official yet, but other media such as SportsRoad and SCMP have hinted that the new season will start at the end of August (presumably the last weekend, just before Hong Kong travel to Thailand for the Kings Cup). It seems the format will be changed slightly with a ten team league- a double round robin as before, and then the top and bottom halves will split for an additional single round robin within the group (as the HKPL has done previously), meaning each side plays twenty two league games. Teams will also have the Senior Shield and FA Cup, alongside a new competition, highly likely to have no limitations on foreign players, meaning teams will play a minimum of 25 games in all competitions. These structures, as well as our home ground can expect to be officially confirmed in the coming couple of weeks. 

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EAFF campaign over, more transfers and other news- preseason so far

By Adam O'Domhnaill

The EAFF Championships have finished. Hong Kong end their campaign with zero points and one goal, against tough opponents. Opening up with a 6-1 defeat to Japan, they looked much more solid in 2-0 and 1-0 defeats to South Korea and China respectively. Tan Chun-lok and Juninho both started all three games, former striker Matt Orr scored our only goal of the tournament against Japan, while former defender Clement Benhaddouche made his debut against China. Hong Kong will next be in action in early September, playing in the Kings Cup in Thailand, alongside the hosts, Iraq and Fiji.

Transfers

Kitchee confirmed the arrivals of two players from the Spanish lower leagues last week, filling key holes at centre back and centre forward. That brings our total incomings so far to six. Speaking with manager Iñigo Calderón at Kitchee's media day he is happy with the squad as it stands, eager to see how the young players get on first. The lack of incomings means there probably is room for new players should they be required.

Adrian Revilla

The versatile striker joins us from Barakaldo CF in the Spanish third tier, where he had seven goal contributions in thirty two games. Predominantly a striker, he has featured across the front line, and will likely play through the middle, with a combination of Mingazow, Juninho, Kendy and Yumemi Kanda playing alongside or behind him.

Roger Riera

The Spanish centre back came through Barcelona's famous La Masia academy, captaining at multiple youth levels, including when they won the UEFA Youth League in 2014. He has over two hundred and fifty games at the professional level, featuring predominantly in the Spanish third and fourth tiers (for the 'B' sides of established Spanish clubs), and in the Dutch second tier for NAC Breda, while also having two years in Nottingham Forest's academy. He helped FC Andorra get promoted to the second tier in 2022. His attributes and experience mean we expect him to start almost every week alongside Dantas.

The club also confirmed that Cheung Yiu-hin, Yu Ching-wai, Li Siu-hin, Lam Pak-yin and Chan Shing-chun have been promoted to the first team squad for the season. Pong Cheuk-hei's recovery from his shoulder injury will see him out of action until October. Thanks to offside.hk for helping us to get access to Kitchee's media day, where we were able to chat with players and gauge the mood of the squad. The squad are excited for the upcoming campaign, and hope the high standards of Iñigo Calderón (or Calde) prove to be beneficial for Kitchee moving forward. After a few years of limited opportunities for young players, it was great to see so many being used in the first team training, and of the twenty eight members of the first team squad, half are twenty three or under.

In terms of outgoings, we have seen Fernando and Ngan Cheuk-pan join Tai Po, with Poon Pui-hin moving to Lee Man, who also signed former Kitchee players Ellison Tsang Yi-hang, Barak Braunshtain and Mikael. Helio will join newly promoted Eastern District in a player coach role.

Other news

Kitchee will travel to Thailand next week to play two friendly games, against T1 Chiangrai United and T2 Kasetsart, alongside a closed doors practice match. Poon Man-chun, Fernando Recio and Guo Jianquo retained their places in the backroom staff, with Kobe Kou joining as strength and conditioning coach, and club legend Dani Cancela taking on a remote role from Spain as a technical analyst. Defenders Jay Haddow and Callum Beattie are still waiting on their passports, and both have to have this resolved by the time the new season starts. News of a start date for the season and a home ground are yet to be confirmed, but we will update you when we know more. We are also awaiting news of the structure of the league and cup competitions

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Please also follow offside.hk who give a broader look into Hong Kong football. Thanks to working with them, we were able to get access to the media day and give a more in-depth look at how the club is getting on, watching training and speaking to players and staff.

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Confirmed ins and outs so far and Hong Kong in EAFF action.

Kitchee officially announced their first four signings of the summer at the start of the week, with three joining from Hong Kong clubs and the fourth having spent eighteen months here in recent years. We also saw fourteen players leave the club, a number of which we had previously mentioned here. Here we run down the confirmed ins and outs, as Iñigo Calderón's squad starts to take shape for the 2025/26 season. The club also confirmed another foreign striker and defender will be joining soon, and five under 18s are being promoted to the senior side for preseason, and perhaps moving forward.

We have two representatives in Hong Kong's 26 man squad for the EAFF Championships (Tan Chun-lok and Juninho), along with four of our fourteen departures. Hong Kong's games are on RTHK32, details below. We will be watching the Japan game in Barcode 23 in To Kwa Wan- let us know if you'd like to join us.

Hong Kong's games are as follows 

8th July 6.24pm Japan

11th July 7pm South Korea

15th July 3pm China

Incomings

Beattie (credits Scoop)

Callum Beattie- 23 years old, left back, English. Most recently at HKFC.

The young defender has shown he can do it against the big teams. scoring against Kitchee, Tai Po and Eastern this season. Find his goal against us here. He is tough tackling and has played LWB and LCB at HKFC this year. We expect him to play left back for us next season, and probably start. Prior to this season, he spent three years in the North American college system, having come through the ranks at HKFC. His time spent in Hong Kong as a youth means he is eligible for a Hong Kong passport, which we understand is very close to being finalised, and may well be completed already.

Kendy (credits Joga Bonito)

Kendy- 26 years old, attacking midfielder, Brazilian. Most recently at North District.

The versatile attacker has been the talisman for North District since his 2023 arrival, and now Kitchee fans do not have to fear him, given his tendency to score against us every game. Primarily suited to playing central midfield, or in the number 10 role, he has also been used as a false nine, and could play on the wings. He has thirty four goal involvements (18 goals, 16 assists) in just under sixty games for a constantly struggling North District side.

Bear (credits HKFA)

Pong Cheuk-hei (Bear)- 21 years old, goalkeeper, Hong Kong. Most recently at North District.

The young goalkeeper has spent most of his career with Hong Kong's worst teams (HKU23, RCFC and North District) but has had admirers around the league, and he is on the fringes of the representative team, making the bench for the World Cup qualifiers with Uzbekistan last year. Definitely seen as a long-term prospect in goal, we assume he will start the majority of games, being backed up by veteran Wang Zhenpeng.

Yumemi Kanda- 30 years old, attacking midfielder, Japan. Most recently at Besa Dobri Dol (North 
Macedonia).

Kanda (credits onetwo.hk)

The Japanese attacker returns to Hong Kong having previously spent 18 months at Rangers, where he had 42 goal involvements in 48 games. Predominantly used as a number 10, he has featured on the wings and at centre forward in a career that has seen him play over a hundred games in the Japanese leagues, and most recently he was in North Macedonia, before leaving at the end of June. We hope he can contribute at a level similar to that as his time at Rangers.

Departures

Helio 225 games 8 goals 

A true club legend- his eleven years at the club brought six league titles, five FA cups, four senior shields and a Sapling Cup. Captained the club on over fifty occasions, and a key part of multiple trophy runs, being a bridge between different eras as he won six league titles and thirteen other trophies. Made the HKPL team of the year on three occasions. Heavily rumoured to be joining ambitious newly promoted Eastern District in a player-coach role.

Fernando 212 games 53 goals 

Over two hundred appearances across two spells, and leaves Kitchee near the top of the record goalscorers list. Player of the year in 2017, he made the HKPL team of the year on five occasions, including this season, and won fourteen trophies, including three league titles. He will likely be joining champions Tai Po.

Poon Pui-hin 76 games 12 goals 

Four years at the club, playing across the frontline. Saw his playtime massively reduced in 24/25, but chipped in with goals and assists when he did get on. He was just announced as a Lee Man player.

Ngan Cheuk-pan 68 games 5 goals

Ngan came through the academy and returned to Kitchee fulltime after graduating college. He stepped up into a regular starter with Tan Chun-lok's injury last season, and became a key part of the Hong Kong setup. Seems likely to be joining Fernando at Tai Po.

Sherzod Temirov 52 games 23 goals

Has worked hard in his eighteen months at the club. Is not the big goalscoring number nine Kitchee have needed, but poor recruitment of Kim Shin-wook and Welthon has massively increased his role. Always had time for the fans, but no news of a new club yet.

Aaron Rey 28 games 7 goals

He played almost every game, and over 80% of possible minutes. Contributed offensively and followed Kitchee tradition of accumulating petty yellow cards.He was quite popular with the fanbase, even if he didn't hit the heights expected. No new club yet.

Sohgo Ichikawa 28 games 3 goals

Moving permanently to Southern after two seasons on loan. Played a small role in our treble winning campaign. Recently earned his second Hong Kong cap against Nepal off the back of an impressive season.

Luis Machado 27 games 6 goals

He came in with high expectations, but could not deliver. Needed to show more consistently high performance levels. His fourteen goal contributions was only bettered by Temirov, but that number needed to be closer to twenty to fire Kitchee to glory. No new club yet.

Bae Jae-woo 24 games 1 goal

Dependable and started a lot of games. Needed more to earn a new contract. Always showed energy, even if he didn't always do a full 90. No new club yet.

Fynn Talley 23 games

Recovered from a shaky start to be one of our stand out performers in a disappointing season. Probably can feel harshly treated having kept six clean sheets. No new club yet.

Leon Jones 21 games

The most surprising of the four departures announced at the end of June. A regular for us and Hong Kong at the heart of defence, he has been linked with a move north, although owing to growing up in the UK he would not class as a local player in the same way that many Hong Kong players do. Unsure where he ends up next, he is currently playing in the EAFF Championships without a contract.

Welthon 19 games 9 goals 

Came in with big expectations, but was a disappointment. All of his goals came against bottom four sides and we finished the season trophyless. Hopefully he makes a full recovery from his head injury sustained in February to play somewhere. Left the club at the start of May. No new club yet.

Tom Yeung Cheuk-kwan 11 games 1 goal

Our club's youngest ever goalscorer (back in December 2023), he couldn't push on this year owing to injury, but did make a couple of league appearances. No new club yet.

Diego Bardanca 5 games 0 goals 

Disappointment on the pitch, but a mentor to young players off the pitch. Did not play after December, and seemed to leave the club in March, although this was not confirmed by the club until May. No new club yet.

Continue to stay in touch with us on social media to stay up to date with any Kitchee news. In the coming weeks we'll see a couple of new signings (maybe more), and confirmation of how next season will look- we know Eastern District will be promoted to make it a ten team league again, but whether the triple round robin will continue will be confirmed in due course. 

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Photo credits

HKFA

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Joga Bonito

Onetwo.hk