A THIGH injury restricted Gary Lineker's Hongkong debut to just 45 minutes as his Japanese club, Nagoya Grampus Eight, beat Hongkong First Division leaders Eastern in a penalty shootout to win the Mild Seven Cup at Mongkok Stadium yesterday.
Lineker, the 32-year-old former England captain making his first appearance in the territory, was cheered every time he touched the ball by a near-capacity crowd of 7,950.
But it was clear he was not moving freely and, after a quiet first half, he disappeared up the players' tunnel, never to be seen on the pitch again - even for the team picture with his triumphant teammates.
''I wanted to watch the second half but I couldn't get through the crowd,'' explained Lineker, who was trapped by hundreds of autograph hunters.
What Lineker missed was his side win a penalty shootout 4-2 to take the trophy after the sides had finished level 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes.
Although Lineker played only 45 of those, he showed one or two touches of class.
But he managed only one shot on goal - a first-time right-foot drive on the run which flashed wide after he had been picked out by Brazilian playmaker Jorginho.