Hong Kong are EAFF qualification winners and mixed Sapling Cup performances

Credits to SportsRoad

Kitchee closed out the year with two Sapling Cup ties, while five players were representing Hong Kong in the EAFF qualifiers. Kitchee beat HKFC but lost to Tai Po with a depleted squad for both, while for the internationals there was more joy, as Hong Kong won three out of three to book their spot in South Korea in 2025.

Kitchee 3 HKFC 1

There were eight changes to Kitchee's starting line up. Law and Bardanca came in for their first starts in two and three months respectively, while Matthew Slattery played for the first time since Southern away at the end of last season. Machado came off the bench for his first appearance in six weeks, and Seb Buddle made a short cameo off the bench for his first competitive appearance of the season. There were more minutes for our young players, and Mingazow temporarily returned from suspension, thanks to archaic HKFA disciplinary rules meaning that he would serve the second game against Tai Po a week later.

Tuscany; Law, Helio (c), Bardanca, Jordan (Buddle 82); Bae (Temirov 60), Lung (Machado 75), Rey; Mingazow, Slattery (Yeung 75), Chen (Wesley 60)

Unused subs: Wang, Dantas, Jason

First half goals from Law (his first goal for two years), Rey and Mingazow put Kitchee 3-0 up within the first half hour, with HKFC responding before half time after a sloppy pass from Helio. An uneventful second half saw opportunities for Kitchee to extend the lead, but also for Cardoso to rotate, giving squad players a chance to feature, and the game ended 3-1.

Mongolia 0 Hong Kong 3

Credits to SportsRoad

A routine victory for Hong Kong, with Juninho getting an assist for the opening goal. He played an hour as one of four Kitchee players to start, as Ngan Cheuk-pan (90 mins), Leon Jones (45) and Fernando (60) all continued to start for the representative team for the fourth game in a row.

Hong Kong 2 Chinese Taipei 1

As has become the norm under Westwood, 4 Kitchee players started- Leon Jones, Fernando, Ngan Cheuk-pan and Juninho, and Poon Pui-hin was an unused sub. Juninho set up former Kitchee striker Matt Orr's opener, before Chinese Taipei levelled on the half hour.  Hong Kong were under the cosh in the second half, but an 87th minute winner from Tsui Wang-kit (his first international goal) sparked absolute limbs amongst the Hong Kong fanbase, setting up a final against Guam. Unfortunately Juninho had to come off in the first half with a thigh injury, which ruled him out of the final and he faces a race against time to be back in time for Kitchee's first game of 2025.

Kitchee 0 Tai Po 3

5 players remained with Hong Kong, with Tan Chun-lok and Jay Haddow still injured, and Ruslan Mingazow suspended. Welthon coming in for Mingazow was Kitchee's only change, as Slattery moved out wide.

Tuscany; Law (Temirov 63), Helio (c), Dantas, Jordan, Bae, Lung (Machado 46), Rey, Slattery (Wesley 86), Welthon, Chen

Unused subs: Wang, Bardanca, Yeung, Jason

A weakened Kitchee side got battered by Tai Po on a cold Sunday night in Tsing Yi. Cheng Chin-lung went close early on, but then it was all Tai Po from there. Tuscany had to be in top form in goal to keep the game level in the first half, with a number of very good saves. Half time substitute Machado went close from a corner, before Tai Po centre back Marcao scored a great freekick on the hour. Kitchee lost possession on halfway shortly afterwards, with Tai Po able to carve through Kitchee's defence to double their lead. In the dying moments Igor Sartori easily cut inside from their left hand side to make it 3-0, and inflict Kitchee's largest competitive defeat in over a year. This defeat, in addition to the November draw with Northern District means the March Sapling Cup game against Eastern (also during internationals) is now a must win game.

Guam 0 Hong Kong 5

Credits to Nick Kung

Leon Jones and Fernando started, with Juninho injured (although still listed as a sub) and Ngan Cheuk-pan and Poon Pui-hin introduced as substitutes in the second half. A comfortable win for Hong Kong, who booked their place to South Korea in July for the EAFF finals. Leon Jones played the full ninety, Fernando played over an hour (before being replaced by Ngan Cheuk-pan), and Poon Pui-hin's fourteen minute cameo was his first international minutes since the defeat to Liechtenstein in October.

What's next

Kitchee next play on the 11th January, away to Southern. They will have Mingazow back from suspension, and hopefully Jay Haddow, Tan Chun-lok and Juninho will have fully recovered, or at least close to full fitness. Kitchee face Eastern (twice) and Tai Po in the three weeks after this, while a Hong Kong XI will have the two-legged Hong Kong-Guangzhou Cup to compete in around the same time, although this will likely involve our young players rather than our regulars.

Here at Angry Boundary Street we would like to thank you for your generous efforts in supporting our fundraising for Movember and the Hong Kong Cancer Fund. Across our two pages, we raised in excess of HK$8500 and moved in excess of 2000km.

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See you in 2025 for another year of interviews, transfer speculation and match reaction!