Defending FA Cup champion Kitchee advanced to semi

Defending FA Cup champion Kitchee squared off against Lee Man in the FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday afternoon in Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground. Kitchee fell behind early in the game but somehow managed to crawl back and scrapped past Lee Man through a 4:3 nail-biter, booking a place in the FA Cup semi-final against Hong Kong Pegasus. Kitchee conceded barely seven minutes into the game, as Lee Man striker Stefan Pereira converted a teammate’s cross and fired his side in front. However, Kitchee quickly answered back with a powerful header from Diego Forlan five minutes later, tying the game at 1:1. Midway in the first-half, Alessandro Leonardo pulled the trigger from the edge of the box and found the back of the net, lifting Kitchee in front and the Blues went on to finish the first-half with a one-goal lead. After the interval, Lee Man quickly equalized, as Tse Long-hin finished off a counter-attack and directed the ball home, making it 2:2. Jared Lum then unleashed a sweet shot from the top of the box and restored Kitchee’s lead once again. Late in the game, Alessandro Leonardo fired a majestic lob-shot from the right wing that hit the goal-post and then entered the net, expanding Kitchee’s lead in the process. Deep in stoppage time, Stefan Pereira pulled one back for Lee Man through penalty but it was too little too late, as Kitchee went on to defeat Lee Man 4:3. Striker Alessandro Leonardo, who netted a brace for Kitchee in the victory, was pleased to contribute and to lead the Blues to the next round of the FA Cup. “We got off to a difficult start in the game by conceding an early goal. Thankfully, everyone kept their nerves, continued to pass the ball, looked for spaces and finally came out on top,” reflected the gangly striker. “Maybe there was a bit of luck involved with my second goal but I have scored similar goals like that in practice. All and all, I am just pleased to be able to help Kitchee to advance to the next round of the FA Cup.” Full-back Dani Cancela was extremely candid in his post-game comments, as the Kitchee defender was far from satisfied with the Blues’ defensive showings. “Every team that comes up against Kitchee will step up its game, making every game all the more difficult – this, we understand very clearly,” offered the veteran defender. “However, we did not take care of our defensive duties today, allowing the opponent to score way to easily, making things very tough for ourselves. This is something that should not be happening.”