THE Hongkong football fans who chose to celebrate Lunar New Year in the cold and rain at Mongkok Stadium on Saturday were rewarded with another handsome display by a local league selection in the traditional four-team invitation tournament.
A hat-trick from skipper Dale Tempest and one apiece from Marko Perinovic and Anto Grabo carried the Hongkong League XI to a crushing 5-0 victory over Denmark Under-21s - and into tomorrow's Carlsberg Cup final against Switzerland, who beat Japan 4-3 in apenalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw over 90 minutes.
On a waterlogged pitch, Hongkong's more direct approach paid dividends against a young Danish side whose attempts to build from the back were thwarted by the heavy going and by a cosmopolitan collection of players determined to win the tournament for the third successive year.
Tempest was quick to point out that on another day and on another pitch the match could have been quite different but, nevertheless, said the result was a good advertisement for the game in Hongkong.
''It shows again that the standard here is a lot stronger than everyone thinks,'' said Tempest, who is playing in his fourth Lunar New Year tournament.
''Everyone keeps waiting for the bubble to burst and maybe it will one day. But as long as there are enough quality players in the league there is every chance we can keep it going.'' Regarding the conditions, Tempest added: ''On a nice pitch it could have been a bit different because they played it around nicely and got around the back of us a few times.'' The watery conditions and lack of experience in the young Danish side could not excuse them conceding a goal as early as the eighth minute.