Southern stun league rivals Kitchee 2-1 to make Senior Shield final

Striker James Ha scored a brace on his birthday as Kwoon Chung Southern reached their first cup final following a stunning 2-1 victory over Kitchee in the Senior Shield at Mong Kok Stadium yesterday.

A product of Kitchee’s youth academy, Ha drew the first blood on 33 minutes when he slotted home from the right after Kitchee defence failed to clear a corner kick. He was on target again shortly after the break, beating Kitchee goalkeeper Wang Zhenpeng with a powerful low drive from 20 metres out.

Juan Belencoso hit one back in stoppage time for Kitchee, who were off the back of a fine result after they thrashed rivals South China 4-2 in the league during the midweek fixture.

Ha, who spent most of last season on the bench following a serious knee injury, said he hoped it would be a new beginning after helping Southern reach the final.

“This is a crucial win and I hope I can avoid any major injury from now on,” said a delighted Ha as he celebrated his 23-year-old birthday. “Most of all, I want to build on the success and become the number one striker in Hong Kong.

“There are many quality local players and I want to prove to national coach Kim Pan-gon that he doesn’t always have to rely on naturalised players. We home grown players can do a good job as well.”