Kitchee scrapped past Hong Kong Pegasus and punche

With clear intentions of retaining the FA Cup trophy, Kitchee almost crashed out of the tournament in the semi-final stage on Sunday afternoon. It was only a late power surge that jolted Kitchee to the finish-line by edging Hong Kong Pegasus 4:1, claiming a much-desired FA Cup final berth in the process. The Blues are now set for a date against Wofoo Tai Po in the FA Cup finale. Kitchee opened the score on the 12th minute, as Lam Zhi Gin’s thunderous strike was paved away by the Hong Kong Pegasus goalkeeper. Fernando Pedreira rushed the scene and alertly tucked the ball into the net, gifting the Blues an early lead. However, Kitchee’s joy was short-lived, as Hong Kong Pegasus striker Travis Major capitalized on a Kitchee defensive error, powered into the box and calmly slotted the ball home, tying the game at 1:1 all the way towards the half-time break. In the second half, both sides continued to come up with goal-scoring chances. However, it was Hong Kong Pegasus that came close to pulling in front. Eugene Mbome’s close-range header was rejected by the goal-post, while the Hong Kong Pegasus midfielder came up with an even better chance later in the game, when he picked up the ball from a teammate and found himself unmarked inside the Kitchee box but miraculously fired his shot wide. Kitchee went on and punished Hong Kong Pegasus’ generosity on the 78th minute, when Fernando Pedreira belted a spectacular drive from the left wing that hit the top-corner of the opposing goal, powering the Blues in front. Afterwards, Alexander Akande and Alessandro Leonardo both added their names onto the scoresheet to round out the 4:1 Kitchee victory. Two-goal hero Fernando Pedreira, who was absolutely dynamic on the pitch, claimed the FA Cup semi-final victory was a genuine team effort. “Despite scoring two goals, generating an assist and earning a penalty in the game, I do not believe this is all down to Fernando. We win together, lose together and lift the trophy together as a team. This is what we are in Kitchee,” stated the extremely humble Brazilian. “Now that we are left with Wofoo Tai Po in the FA Cup final. Hopefully, we can go one step further, beat the opponent and win the trophy.” Midfielder Huang Yang points to the decisiveness of the Kitchee coaching staff as the major reason for the Blues’ FA Cup semi-final victory. “We went with a 3-4-3 formation at the start of the game and the whole team performed awfully. Our will to compete also paled in comparison against the opponent,” Huang bluntly confessed. “Thankfully, the coaching staff quickly made up their mind, switched to a four-man backline and a three-man midfield, instantly turning the tide for us – going from feeling great pressure to scoring the go-ahead goal. I think the coaching staff deserves great credit for this victory.”