A dream came true for Sun Hei yesterday when defender Carlo Hartwig scored the winning goal in the last minute of extra-time in the Xiangxue Pharmaceutical FA Cup final, making it a quadruple season for the first division side.
With the match about to be decided by a penalty shootout after being deadlocked at 1-1 in nearly 120 minutes, Hartwig surprised the 1,900 crowd by hitting a thundering 20-metre free-kick to give Sun Hei a 2-l victory over arch-rivals Happy Valley at Hong Kong Stadium.
The win also brought Sun Hei a clean sweep of all four titles for the season - Senior Shield, League Cup, first division title and now the FA Cup.
It had been 14 years since former giants South China did the seemingly impossible when the Caroliners won the League, Senior Shield, FA Cup and Viceroy Cup in the 1990-91 season.
A delighted club president Raymond Chow Man-leung admitted it was the best way to wrap up the season - a goal in the final minute of extra time and a clean sweep of all four titles. 'I need to thank the players, coach, staff and fans for their support over the entire season. A dream come true,' said Chow.
Although the club official refused to comment on a speculated $3 million bonus to the players for winning all four titles, the Hong Kong Football Association confirmed they would pay Sun Hei a special award of $500,000 for winning all four titles in one season, on top of the $80,000 prize money for winning the FA Cup.
'We are talking about an award of over $1 million. I will sort it out with our club sponsors and officials and reveal the amount very soon. In any case, the players will be very happy,' said Chow. It is believed that a financier of the club has promised the players a staggering $2 million for the domestic quadruple.