Kitchee Edged Eastern in Premier League Finale, Fi

Under the passionate support of the home supporters, Kitchee chalked up another victory against bitter rival Eastern in the final BOCG Life Hong Kong Premier League match of the current season. The 2:0 victory for the Blues saw Kitchee completed all the premier league fixtures and finished in the runner-up position, merely a point behind eventual champion Eastern. Kitchee made a few changes in the starting lineup for the game and the team immediately faced Eastern’s pressure in the early stages. However, striker Alexander Akande capitalized on an opportunity, broke behind the Eastern defense, rounded the keeper and slotted the ball home with ease, putting Kitchee in front. Afterwards, Fernando Pedreira showed off fantastic speed and individual skill on the flank before finding Matthew Lam with a neat pass. The latter took care of the rest and directed the ball home comfortably, giving Kitchee a 2:0 cushion. Before the end of the first half, goal-scorer Akade was sent off by the referee for a red card offense but Kitchee managed to hold on to the 2:0 lead towards the interval despite going down to ten man. The game turned to a much slower pace in the second half and both sides failed to generate much in terms of attack. Although Eastern also went one man short midway in the second half after Diego Moreira picked up his second yellow card of the game, it really did not alter much of the situation. At the end, the 2:0 score line stood towards the final whistle, as Kitchee defeated Eastern and snatched all three points. Tong Kin-man, who played the full ninety minutes for Kitchee against Eastern was glad to see the Blues edging Eastern to close out the premier league fixtures. “Even though Eastern had already snatched the premier league title before the game, we did not go easy against them, as our boys really worked hard and tried to reduce the gap between the two sides in the premier league standing. After all, there IS quite a difference between finishing seven or one point behind Eastern in the premier league table,” Tong offered. “At the end, we fell one point short of Eastern in the premier league chase and I still have to tip my hat to my teammates. We just need to regroup and come hard against Eastern again next season.” Speaking about his own personal performance on the pitch this season, the versatile Tong seemed to be generally satisfied. “I played in virtually every single position in defense and even had a run out in both wings. I feel like I have shown steady improvements. However, it should also be noted that playing in all sorts of positions on the pitch have definitely taken a toll on the consistency of my performances,” Tong added.