Kitchee Back on AFC Cup Winning Track with Away Vi

Spurred by an urgency to improve on its current AFC Cup group position, Kitchee displayed great pedigree by overcoming New Radiant SC 2:0 in Maldives on Tuesday’s AFC Cup 2016 Group F fixture, claiming all three points and getting back on winning track in the tournament. Kitchee players shook off the Maldives heat at the start of the game and went on to open the score with a fine Rufino Sgovia strike early in the game. The Kitchee talisman then added another goal in the latter part of the first half, when Sgovia connected with a Lo Kwan-yee cross and smashed the ball into the New Radiant SC net, ensuring his side will head to the dressing room for half time with a two goal lead. Sgovia had even more chances in the second half to put Kitchee further ahead but somehow failed to find the back of the net. Teammate Ngan Lok-fung also came close but his ferocious blast was cruelly rejected by the New Radiant SC woodwork. At the end, Kitchee’s two goal lead stood towards the final whistle, as the visitors snatched an all-important 2:0 victory over New Radiant SC. Kitchee head coach Alex Chu spoke about the importance of the victory in the post-game press conference. “This is a very important victory for us because the three points will keep our hopes of finishing as the top team in Group F alive,” Chu explained. “We will be playing Kaya FC away in the next AFC Cup game. We managed to come out on top against them previously, hence we will try to fight for whatever that we can in the away match, while maintaining our push to the top of the group.” Captain Lo Kwan-yee is delighted with returning home with all three points after defeating New Radiant SC. “We were highly concentrated during the game. That led to us opening the score early and establishing an important lead in the game,” Lo assessed. “The scorching Maldives heat had an effect on the players and subsequently contributed to a slow match tempo. However, the most important thing is that we are coming home with a victory and all three points.”