傑志五連勝挫港會 聯賽榜續居次席

Kitchee’s offensive juggernaut continued to stay in high gear on Friday evening, as the Blues extended its winning streak to five games and cruised past HKFC through a sensational 10:0 victory, with Rufino Segovia and Alessandro Leonardo each netting four goals on the evening, while Jared Lum and Alexander Akande chipped in and rounded out the score. The game against HKFC marked veteran goalkeeper Wang Zhenpeng’s 250th appearance for Kitchee and the Blues gave the custodian a great present by keeping his work to a minimum. The Blues managed to open the score midway through the first-half, as Rufino Segovia’s well-taken strike from inside the box found the back of the net through the far post. Later in the first-half, Alessandro Leonardo also pulled the trigger inside the box and found success, making it a 2:0 lead for Kitchee heading into the interval. Kitchee quickly added to the lead early in the second-half through another Leonardo strike. Shortly afterwards, HKFC keeper Issey Maholo committed handball outside his own penalty area and was sent off by the referee. Jared Lum duly punished HKFC by smashing a superb free-kick straight towards the back of the net, pulling the Blues further away. Afterwards, Kitchee kept on attacking and once again hit the back of the net through Segovia (two goals) and Leonardo. Late in the game, Alexander Akande finished off a great attacking move inside the box and added his name onto the score-sheet, while Segovia and Leonardo each bagged another goal to add to their tally, completing Kitchee’s 10:0 victory over HKFC. Striker Alessandro Leonardo, who netted four goals on the evening, declares the Blues will go all-out in its remaining premier league games, hoping to force a pinnacle showdown match against Eastern Long Lions in the final week of the league season. “To snatch four goals and to help the team to a victory, of course this is a very exciting feeling. Everyone hopes to play Eastern Long Lions in the final week of the premier league season with the title on the line but we need to stay step-by-step on course. Hopefully, we will be able to reach our eventual target,” expressed the Hong Kong international. Promising midfielder Mark Swainston made his professional debut on the evening and spoke about how much he enjoyed the experience. “The pace of the game was faster than what I had in mind. I remember one time when the ball was near the corner-flag and next thing I knew, it had already gone past me! Thankfully, all of my teammates kept talking to me throughout the game, enabling myself to settle down in no time. I have been bothered by various nagging injuries since the start of the season and it really got me down at one point. Thankfully, I have put all my injuries in the past and I am thankful to be able to make my professional debut in Kitchee colors,” young Swainston stated.