Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) put on a resilient performance to win the inaugural Philips Colleges/Universities Football League (PCUFL) final 4-2 on penalties. The score was 0-0 after extra time at the Joint Sports Centre in Kowloon Tong. Goalkeeper Lai Pak-yung made two crucial saves in the shoot-out, as HKIEd gained revenge for their 3-1 defeat to City University (CityU) in the Hong Kong Post Secondary Colleges Athletic Association final on March 3. In muggy, wet conditions, CityU struggled to find their rhythm, with HKIEd enjoying the majority of possession. HKIEd captain, Yau Kam-chuen, said his side had stuck to their plan to play attacking football and also to mark influential players out of the game. 'We controlled the game with our positional play,' said Yau. CityU captain and central defender, Kenneth Kwok Kar-lok, had caused major headaches for HKIEd in the final two weeks ago and Yau knew they had to watch him closely on Friday. Most HKIEd players are studying to be physical education teachers which means a gruelling fitness programme that includes regular hill runs. The PCUFL matches last 90 minutes instead of the regular 70 and this suits HKIEd players. 'Our fitness levels are higher than those of other teams since we train four times a week and I think that was the difference tonight,' said Yau. Kwok said: 'They had 90 per cent of the possession tonight. It was a different game to the other final, with the stuffy weather conditions and duration of the match definitely giving them an advantage.' All players agreed the PCUFL had been a great success and praised the sponsor, Philips, for its efforts to promote university football. 'The coverage is great, which makes it more exciting, and all the players appreciate the extra games PCUFL brings,' said Dennis Yang Yan-tao, the University of Hong Kong captain. 'I hope more students watch the matches next season,' he said. Philips, which sponsors university football in the mainland and Europe, was pleased with its first cup event in Hong Kong. 'We set out to win over the students and I think we've done that,' said Ada S. W. Lee, senior manager of corporate communications.
