Kitchee return to winning ways against Dreams - but only just!

Kitchee return to winning ways against Dreams - but only just!

Kitchee put an end to their recent run of draws with a 2:1 victory against Dreams on Sunday in the Senior Shield. Goals from Lucas and Vadocz were enough, despite a late scare, to ensure that Kitchee progressed to the next round and booked a showdown against Eastern in the Semi-Final.

How did they line up?

   

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On the back of two consecutive 2-2 draws, Alex Chu made a number of changes to his side and changed formation from his usual 3-4-3 formation to a more conservative 4-3-3 - which saw Dani Cancela return to the starting line-up alongside Bong, Li Ng Hoi and Tong King Man.

In midfield, Matt Lam returned to take the place of Jordi. Krisztian Vadocz and Huang Yang (c) completed the midfield three.

Up front, only Ju Yingzhi remained and he played behind Lucas and Fernando. It was great to see Fernando in the starting line-up, many fans were worried he wouldn't play following a serious eye injury in the late stage of that 2-2 draw versus Tai Po.

Tadic, Jordi and Recio all dropped to the bench - where they were joined by Brazilian striker, Robert, who was hoping to make his first appearance for the Bluewaves.

How did it pan out?

The opening 20 minutes were surprisingly even with both teams having the opportunity to break the deadlock but it was eventually Kitchee that drew first blood. With the crowd growing increasingly anxious, Fernando played an excellent dinked ball over the top of the defence which was collected by Lucas who finished calmly with into the top of the net over oncoming Dreams goalkeeper. To Chun-kiu.

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Despite taking the lead, Kitchee carried on giving Dreams opportunities and they almost drew level just a few minutes later when Leung Tsz-chun crossed to Lam who was only able to put the ball over the bar.

Seemingly Kitchee took this warning seriously and went on the search for a second goal. They didn't have to wait long. With 35 minutes on the clock, captain Huang Yang floated a corner into the Dreams area which was only half cleared. Kim Bong Jin headed the ball back into the centre and Vaodcz was able to finish emphatically from 10 yards out. The Hungarian seemingly delighted to get his first goal of his second spell with the Hong Kong Champions.

Kitchee had chances to increase their lead further before the break but To Chun-Kiu successfully foiled both Lucas and Fernando - meaning the first 45 minutes ended up 2:0 Kitchee.

With Kitchee having lead 2:0 at half time in their last two league outings and then ending up drawing both games, the Bluewave fans were not taking this position for granted. However, the victory looked set to be "nailed on" early in the second half when Dream's goalkeeper, To Chun-Kiu, came chasing out of his area to face down Lucas. Lucas put the ball past the 'keeper and looked to run the other side but was caught and was sent flailing into the air. The referee reached deep into his back pocket and showed the young 'keeper a red card, which was warranted but undeserved for someone who had played so well up to that point.

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 With the game seemingly in the bag, Kitchee again took their foot off the gas and invited 10 man Dreams back into the game. A number of chances came and went for Dreams but without avail. However, in the 81st they were granted a life line when Dani Cancela bundled over Ignacio Martinez inside the area. The Spanish No.9 dusted himself down and stepped up to take the kick but it was saved well by Kitchee 'keeper, Wang ZhenPeng, diving low to his right.

Following that relief, many thought that Kitchee would finally see the game out for a comfortable 2-0 win. However, that was not the case as the HK Champions once again allowed their opponents a late goal with Marcos Gondra heading home past Wang following a hopeful long ball forward by Kitamura.

Following recent results, Kitchee fans would have been for thinking "here we go again" but luckily the team on this occasion was able to hold on and book their place in the semi-final.

Final score 2:1