Kitchee Eased Past Glory Sky Wong Tai Sin in Leagu

Kitchee got off to a flying start in this season’s HKFA League Cup, as the reigning champion blasted four goals past Glory Sky Wong Tai Sin on Saturday afternoon’s Group A fixture and eased towards a commanding 4:0 victory. The goalless first-half will be remembered for all the wrong reasons, as Fernando Pedreira fell into the dugout awkwardly and had to be substituted. It took almost sixty minutes for Kitchee to shake off the cobwebs and broke the game open, as Jorge Tarres’ close-range strike put the defending champion in front. Shortly afterwards, Alessandro Ferreira added a nifty header and doubled Kitchee’s lead in the process. An own goal by Glory Sky Wong Tai Sin moments later saw Kitchee widening its lead again and Christian Annan’s superb strike late in the game helped sealed Glory Sky Wong Tai Sin’s fate on the afternoon. Despite the score-line, Kitchee defensive lynchpin Fernando Recio insists the victory over Glory Sky Wong Tai Sin was far from easy. “It is never easy playing against Glory Sky Wong Tai Sin and I have a lot of respect for them. They pressed us throughout the game, tried to pass the ball and actually generated a few scoring chances themselves,” offered the Kitchee centre-back. “We have not played any meaningful games over the past twenty days and as you can see, it is quite difficult for us. As a player, I would much rather that we play on a regular basis.” Alessandro Ferreira, who netted a goal in the 4:0 rout, was called into the net after starting goalkeeper Wang Zhenpeng received his marching order late in the game. “I volunteered to go between the sticks immediately because it was much easier for the team to shift a forward to the vacant goalkeeper position, rather than moving someone from defense or midfield,” explained the lanky forward. “It was very exciting for me when I pulled off a save late in the game. I am now going to tell Peng (Wang Zhenpeng) and Qiao (Guo Jianqiao) to watch out for their places, as I might now compete against them for the starting keeper position,” Ferreira joked.