On Lunar New Year’s Day (22 Jan) at the Hong Kong Stadium, Kitchee held onto a 1-1 draw after extra time during the Senior Shield Final, before winning the penalty shootout 4:2 and lifting the title for the 8th time in history and claiming the first silverware this season.
Facing a determined side, Kitchee actively sought opportunities for breakthrough but was repeatedly denied by the opponents. Eastern’s counter attack chances were in turn stopped by the team’s defenders as the first half ended goalless. Kitchee broke the deadlock in the 71st minute as Igor Sartori crossed the ball to Ruslan Mingazov inside the box, who in turn passed the ball to Mikael to score at close range. However, Eastern equalised within 7 minutes as both team headed the second half and extra time without scoring more goals.
During the penalty shootout, Paulo César made a crucial save while another Eastern penalty failed to hit the target. Igor Sartori, Dejan Damjanović, Charlie Scott, and Oliver Gerbig all scored from the spot to lead Kitchee to a 4:2 victory at shootout.