Relegation-bound Hong Kong Sapling are refusing to throw in the towel after holding Sunray Cave Sun Hei to a 1-1 draw in the BMA First Division at Kowloon Bay Park last night.
Alex Akande scored a late equaliser with only five minutes left, beating goalkeeper Ho Kwok-chuen with a powerful drive from the right to rescue a point.
It was the second draw in a row for the experimental team after their impressive 2-2 result against second-placed TSW Pegasus.
Luk Chi-ho struck home in the first half to give the Senior Shield champions the lead, but Sun Hei were unable to find a second goal that could have killed off the match.
Sapling had the better chances in the second half. Su Yang's header from close range just went over the bar, but Akande made no mistake with his shot despite the challenge of Cristiano Cordeiro.
Sapling have now moved off the bottom of the standings with four points from 13 matches, one point ahead of fellow strugglers Sham Shui Po. Wofoo Tai Po, third from the bottom, are on 14 points.