Kitchee’s impressive winning-streak came to an end

against Kwoon Chung Southern on Sunday afternoon in the Sapling Cup group stage. After the draw, Kitchee still occupies the top spot in Group B with one win, one draw and four points from two games. Complying with Sapling Cup regulations, Kitchee started the game with talented prospects Barak Braunshtain and Sebastian Buddle in the lineup, hoping to nail down its second Sapling Cup victory of the season. However, it was Kwoon Chung Southern that managed to break the game open on the 16th minute through a Marcos Jimenez header. The Hong Kong Island-side subsequently held on to the lead all the way towards the interval. After the break, Kitchee went all out seeking for the equalizer but almost conceded once again. On the 56th minute, Marcos Jimenez capitalized on a Kitchee defensive error, darted down the left wing before swinging the ball towards the middle. Wellingsson De Souza quickly fired away but ended up hitting the woodwork. Kitchee dodged a bullet on the occasion and drew level on the 74th minute, when Fernando Pedreira connected with a slick pass from Alessandro Leonardo and fired the ball home, making it 1:1. Both sides failed to add to the score in the remaining regulation and the 1:1 score-line stood towards the final whistle. Midfielder Barak Braunshtain, who was making only his second start for Kitchee this season, was visibly disappointed with the outcome but insisted the team would fight on in the Sapling Cup. “Kwoon Chung Southern played quite well in the game and gave us quite a lot of trouble,” assessed the eighteen years-old. “I thought we played with great spirits and never gave up throughout the game. It was a pity that I had two late chances to win the game for Kitchee but failed to bury them. No matter what, we will keep pushing forward, come back stronger and go for the victory in the next game.” Veteran Paulo Carreiro, who entered the game as a second-half substitution, graciously offered positive encouragements to his younger teammates. “I thought the two young players (Barak Braunshtain and Sebastian Buddle) played quite well and gave it their best shot,” offered Carreiro. “They are still quite raw, young in experience and the opponent did not make things easy with its five-man defensive unit. Anyways, we still have two more games to go in the Sapling Cup group stage and the young players should not feel too down about this draw. After all, there are still a lot of important games ahead that we need to conquer together.”