A thrilling 2-2 draw at the full house Mong Kok Stadium sparked joy all round as Kitchee were crowned Premier League champions for the sixth time on Sunday (May 7) thanks to a dramatic 76th minute goal from substitute Andy Russell as the home side twice came from behind.
A draw against Lee Man was enough to see Kitchee clinching back-to-back Premier League titles, but the visitors ensured they were in title driving seat after Spanish striker Manuel Bleda opened the scoring in the 9th minute to hand Lee Man an early lead. Kitchee grabbed a precious equalizer when they were awarded a penalty after Ruslan Mingazov was brought down in the box, and Mikael drove home in the 23rd minute.
Kitchee saw themselves had a mountain to climb in the second half after Mingazov received his marching orders in the 64th minute and they got stung by the visitors when Everton Camargo strike again in the 73rd minute. However, a superb veteran defender Andy Russell's effort 3 minutes later ensured that the spoils were shared in what was a classic clash between the sides.
The result seeing Kitchee have lifted the league title for a third consecutive season to run its total to 12 all-time and 6 during the Premier League era.