Lady Luck shines on Caroliners
Late deflection gives South China slim advantage after first leg of Senior Shield clash with Kitchee
A little luck made all the difference as South China scraped through to a 1-0 win over arch-rivals Kitchee in their Canbo Senior Shield second-round, first-leg match at Hong Kong Stadium yesterday.
Just as the cup tie, attended by just 2,700 spectators, seemed to be heading for a goalless draw, a low drive by South China midfielder Manoel Santos from outside the box took a deflection off defender Liu Quankun into the net. The goal that beat keeper Wang Zhenpeng with only three minutes left, was described by Kitchee boss Ken Ng Kin as "bad luck".
It was the Brazilian's sixth goal of the season, and an important step in South China's bid to win the Shield after having been the losing finalists for the last two seasons.
A heavy downpour just before the start seemed to scare off many fans, but there was indeed little excitement for those who paid the HK$60 ticket.
Neither side was able to create clear-cut chances to earn themselves a comfortable cushion for the second leg at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground next Sunday. However, South China, who also won by the same margin when the two teams last met in the league, had much more possession than their opponents throughout the match.
Caroliners coach Liu Chun-fai emphasised that possession without finding the net counted for nothing.