Second half fightback too little too late as Kitchee end the season in 4th- Kitchee 2-3 Lee Man

Team news

After a tumultuous season, especially the last couple of months, Kitchee had one game left, before the impending rebuild on and off the pitch. There were four changes to the starting line up from the comprehensive victory at Southern; Shinichi was the only defender to retain his place, and Law (suspension and injury) and Mikael (suspension) were recalled to the starting lineup. After starting last week, Ibrahim Kurban, Andy Russell and Sherzod Temirov were all left out of the matchday squad.

Wang; Law, Helio (c), Ramic (Roberto 55), Shinichi; Scott (Huang 72), Cleiton, Mikael; Juninho (Poon 84), Jantscher, Fernando (Igor 55)

Match highlights

Credits to Football shirt lover

Lee Man had already confirmed their title win, so for Kitchee it was a case of playing for pride and second place. Both sides had chances early on- Wong Wai from distance for Lee Man and Juninho firing wide after good work from Cleiton to regain possession. Having been booked already, Sedin Ramic dawdled on the ball, putting himself under pressure with Anier bearing down on him. The Estonian won the ball and went through one on one with Wang, finishing calmly just after the half hour. And it got worse for Kitchee. Giving fans flashbacks of Baffoe's goal for Eastern, Kitchee failed to make the most of a corner. Lee Man counter-attacked, with Gil Martins playing a lovely ball for Tachibana up from left back to finish, 2-0 with forty minutes played. In first half stoppage time good work from Everton on the left hand side teed up Anier for a simple finish. Kitchee were 3-0 down at half time for the first time since November 2019, and were ending the campaign with a whimper.

Credits to Nathan

The second half started without much incident. Midway through the half, Shinichi found Igor, and the Brazilian's cross was tapped in by Mikael, and Kitchee had a lifeline. Two minutes later, Igor's corner found Mikael again whose header found the net, for his twenty fifth goal in all competitions. Huang Yang came on soon after for his three hundredth and nineteenth and final Kitchee appearance. Everton and Paulissen's free kick routine almost extended Lee Man's lead, before Poon Pui-hin couldn't connect with Helio's header. Lee Man went down to ten men with a few minutes left as Ngan Lok-fung was sent off for a second yellow but held firm for the ten minutes of stoppage time to hand Kitchee their first league home defeat since November 2018. Kitchee ended the season in fourth, below Tai Po and Eastern, our lowest finish since 2018-19. Huang Yang thanked fans following his final game, and the squad next season will look very different. New coach, squad overhaul and hopefully an influx of young talent, both foreign and domestic.

Fans feedback 

Credits to Scoop

A dreadful first half, with the team showing more fight in the second half. But the damage had already been done, both in this game and over the past two months. Ramic's sloppy performance, particularly for Lee Man's first goal, showed why he has been scarcely used since signing in January. Lee Man naturally took their foot off the gas in the second half, which Kitchee took advantage of to get back into the game. But Kitchee had too many wayward chances and couldn't grab an equaliser, relying on some aimless crossing and predictable attack. Kim Shin-wook was unsurprisingly nowhere to be seen, and Anier showed us what we lack in a proper centre forward. Lee Man were significantly more clinical, pouncing on our mistakes. Law and Shinichi both appeared determined and carried the ball well, with Shinichi at times looking like an inverted full back, although his finishing could do with some work- too many speculative efforts from outside the box. The young left back brought up a century of Kitchee appearances in this game, and will no doubt have interest from the Chinese Super League.

Fans commented that Lee Man look confident and assured in their tactical gameplan, and no longer fear Kitchee. Could this be a turning point where teams will look to attack Kitchee rather than just sitting back? Kitchee's aging squad (especially in defence) has struggled against pace and even with a squad overhaul, the potential frailties of this campaign may still be challenged by Lee Man and Eastern next season, with both sides having beaten Kitchee twice this season. For all of Kitchee's experience, there is a distinct lack of on field leadership. There is too much arguing between players and no one willing to step up and say we need to sort this out. Igor Sartori looked better than he has all season when he came on, with two assists for Mikael. But their contribution was too little too late, and even with a late onslaught on the Lee Man goal and ten minutes of added time Kitchee could not rescue a point. A disappointing way to end the season, and for many players their Kitchee or professional careers.

What's next

Massive rebuild coming, after the worst season in half a decade. We go again properly in August. In the meantime, Hong Kong take on Iran on the 6th of June at Hong Kong Stadium, with tickets available on Cityline. In Hong Kong's current thirty six man squad, there are seven Kitchee players- defenders Law Tsz-chun, Helio and Shinichi, midfielders Tan Chun-lok and Cheng Chin-lung and forwards Poon Pui-hin and Juninho.

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Written by Adam O'Domhnaill