Kitchee snatched opening win of the season by defe

Kitchee started the new premier league season on a positive note on Sunday afternoon, displaying great character on the pitch and scrapping past the visiting Kwoon Chung Southern through a memorable 3:1 home victory. Kwoon Chung Southern performed admirably on the pitch and really made Kitchee worked for the victory. On the 39th minute, Lam Ka-wai picked out debutant Lam Zhi-gin before the latter turned on the jets and delivered the ball to the box, allowing Alexander Akande to knock it home and putting the Blues in front 1:0. However, Lam Zhi-gin’s debut only lasted for sixty-five minutes, as the new signing was removed from the pitch due to an eye injury. Kwoon Chung Southern equalized on the 72nd minute when Michael Luk’s free-kick was powered home through a Diego Garrido header. Kitchee keeper Wang Zhenpeng was helpless on the occasion. Kitchee dialed up its attack afterwards and pressed for the winner. On the 88th minute, Alessandro Leonardo connected with a Matthew Lam free-kick and headed the ball towards the Kwoon Chung Southern net. The ball hit Tomas Maronesi on the way and went into the net. The Blues regained the lead late in the game. Afterwards, Jared Lum made an impressive run on the right side, dodged two tackles before drilling a shot home, making it 3:1 and sealing Kitchee’s victory in the process. Captain Lo Kwan-yee was impressed by the team’s fighting spirit and determination displayed in the first game. “The opponent was great defensively and forced us to send long balls into the box late in the game,” said Lo. “We rarely scored in the final ten minutes last season but we did it in our opening game. It showed that everyone was hungry for victory and went for the goals. We grinded out a tough win this time and it is bound to boost everyone’s confidence down the road.” Debutant Lam Zhi-gin, who wrapped up his first game in Kitchee colors with a swollen left eye, looked back positively on the memorable tilt. “My left eye could barely open and that was why I had to come out of the pitch. But it is part of the game and I understand fully well that the opponent is out to try to defeat us,” Lam offered. “The first game of the season is always a tough game but this is nevertheless a very exciting one. Playing in front of a passionate crowd is also something very satisfying. Teams that face us tend to stay behind the ball and that is something that we will have to be careful of next time around.”