Rangers too strong for Tai Po; Eastern account for Yokohama FC in FA Cup first round
BC Rangers scored an emphatic 2-0 win over Second Division Wofoo Tai Po in an FA Cup first-round soccer match at Mong Kok Stadium on Sunday.
Tai Po, one of four lower-tier clubs in the competition, failed to offer a serious challenge despite battling hard throughout.
Tommy Chuck drew first blood in first-half stoppage time, connecting with a cross by Law Hiu-chung from the right, while Luciano da Silva added to the tally early in the second half.
Rangers will meet I-Sky Yuen Long in the next round of the competition.
In the end, the final result counts and we are happy to make it through to the last eight
On Saturday, Eastern Salon scored all three of their goals in the first half as they defeated Yokohama FC 3-1 in a Cup match at Mong Kok Stadium.
Former Melbourne Heart striker Dylan Macallister hit a brace with Liang Zicheng scoring the other goal. Kenji Fukuda pulled one back with a header for Yokohama, midway through the second half, but it made little difference to the eventual result as Eastern set up a quarter-final tie against Sunray Cave Sun Hei.
Eastern coach Cristiano Cordeiro admitted his charges failed to keep up the momentum after the break. “I was a player before as you know and I know the players’ mentality well,” said Cordeiro, a two-time Hong Kong Footballer of the Year during his playing career.
“Once you have built up a comfortable lead in the first half, the players tend to relax a bit. But in the end, the final result counts and we are happy to make it through to the last eight.”
Eastern have been given an easy draw as heavyweights South China, Kitchee and Sun Pegasus are all in the other half of the draw, but Cordeiro remained cautious.
“It’s too early to talk about reaching the final. Our next match against Sun Hei will not be easy and in fact there is no easy match against any team here. We have to take it match by match to see how far we can go,” he said.
