Kitchee Returns to Form with Sensational Come-from

After going through a largely inconsistent premier league campaign, Kitchee returned to form on Wednesday evening and staged a sensational come-from-behind victory over South China, toppling its arch-rival 4:2 and renewing hopes for its premier league title-challenge. Kitchee has dropped quite a few points in the premier league so far this season but started the match in aggressive manner, laying siege to the South China goal early in the game. Yet it was South China who almost broke the game loose early, with Bojan Malisic witnessing his acrobatic shot rejected by the goal-post. However, the visitors were not to be denied and went in front shortly afterwards through a Chan Siu-ki close-range blast. Kitchee managed to tie the game on the 19th minute, when PauloCarreiro nicked the ball off a South China player and fired it into the back of the net, making it 1:1 in the process. The home side dialed up the pressure after the interval and successive goals from Fernando Pedreira, Alessandro Ferreira and Alexander Akande helped the side established a 4:1 lead. Despite a late goal by South China’s Carlos Vieira Junior, it was too little too late for the Caroliners, as the game ended in a 4:2 victory for Kitchee. Alessandro Ferreira, who netted one of Kitchee’s four goals on the evening, pointed out the keys to the team’s success over South China. “We displayed great team spirit and battled very hard throughout the game. Despite conceding the first goal, we remained very calm and then netted several goals that gave us the lead. In terms of performance on the pitch, we were definitely the better side and deserved to come out with all three points,” offered the lanky striker. The industrious Huang Yang took time after the game to acknowledge the team’s unsung hero on the evening. “We did not attract a big crowd for our previous matches but this one felt like a proper big game with an awesome atmosphere. Players on the pitch definitely felt the passion on the stands and that really boosted our performances. The Kitchee supporters truly deserve credit for this victory,” noted the midfield enforcer.