Kitchee Handed Premier League Title Setback with D

Kitchee suffered another setback in its premier league title chase on Saturday afternoon, as Dreams Metro Gallery, who already defeated the blue side once this season, served up another shock to Kitchee by snatching a late 1:1 draw in Mongkok Stadium. Desperate to keep up with the premier league leaders, Kitchee did not seem fazed by the elements and started the game ready to lay siege towards the Dreams Metro Gallery goal. The home side even managed to take an early lead on the 14th minute, courtesy of a Matthew Lam strike and maintaining the lead heading into the half time interval. Kitchee came out strong in the second half and probably should have expanded its lead. Unfortunately, Lo Kwan-yee, Fernando Pedreira and Jorge Tarres all failed to convert their scoring chances, leaving the door slightly open for a Dreams Metro Gallery comeback. In fact, Pablo Gallardo would have tied the game midway in the second half if it was not for the Kitchee crossbar. While it looked like Kitchee was all set with the victory and three points, Leung Kwok-wai managed to unleash a diving header and headed the ball home deep in stoppage time, snatching a late equalizer for Dreams Metro Gallery. Captain Lo Kwan-yee admitted after the game that the team failed to convert its scoring chances and that very disappointing indeed. “The draw proved that the team was still making a lot of mistakes and I think everyone within the team needs to take responsibility for that. As usual, we generated a lot of scoring chances throughout the match but we seem to lack a striker who can put the ball to the back of the net with conviction,” the full-back tried to explain. “I have to confess that our chance of retaining the premier league title looks very bleak at the moment but we have a lot of supporters and we need to stay strong and come up with the best possible results for them.” Defender Tong Kin-man was dumbfounded while leaving the pitch after the final whistle and was short of words on the draw. “My mind is going blank and I have no words to describe how I am feeling at this moment,” said Tong, who was struggling with his emotions. “We failed to take our chances in the game and struggled to pull away on the scoreboard, allowing the opponent to tie the game at the end. If you fail to seize your opportunity, the opponent will always punish you and that is something that happens all the time on the football pitch.”