Pegasus fight back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with YFCMD
Coach Lee Chi-kin says they only have themselves to blame after missing a host of chances to close out the game
YFCMD were punished for a host of missed chances as they squandered a two-goal lead and allowed Sun Pegasus to fight back for a draw in the BOCG Life Premier League on Saturday.
Had they taken their chances at Mong Kok Stadium, YFCMD would have moved into third place in the soccer league but instead the disappointing 2-2 draw keeps them in fifth position.
"We have to blame ourselves for letting them off the hook," said coach Lee Chi-kin. "We created a couple of clear-cut chances to extend the lead but failed to close out the match and allowed them to come back.
"Pegasus are very strong in attack and when they threw everything at us in the second half, our defence came under a lot of pressure and we suffered some nervous moments.
We have to blame ourselves for letting them off the hook. We created a couple of clear-cut chances to extend the lead but failed to close out the match and allowed them to come back
"But still, one point is not a bad result considering the fact we are still in contention for a place in the Play-off Cup and I hope the boys will not be affected by the result and stay focused for the remaining three matches."
Lee paid tribute to many of his young players for improving their skills and helping the side stay competitive, even against the "Big Four" teams.
YFCMD are now tied with South China on 23 points and are just one point behind Pegasus.
YFCMD took an early lead after Fernando Pedreira scored on nine minutes. The Brazilian striker intercepted a weak back-pass from Igor Miovic to his goalkeeper Tse Tak-him and scored after his first shot was saved by Tse and bounced back to him.
Their second goal came from Japanese forward Kenji Fukuda 20 minutes later after Lee Ka-yiu swung the ball from the left for Fukuda to head home.
Jose Diaz and Lee had chances to extend their lead before the half-time whistle while Tan Chun-lok also missed another easy close-range shot in the second period.
Pegasus needed two set-pieces for their hard-earned draw. Admir Rascic's flick-on after a Ju Yingzhi corner kick closed the gap on 77 minutes before Festus Basie, voted MVP for Pegasus for the season, slotted home after Ju's free kick with only two minutes left.
We were lucky we did not concede more goals in the first half, which meant we still had a chance
"We were lucky we did not concede more goals in the first half, which meant we still had a chance. The boys worked really hard after the break to get back into the game," said Pegasus coach Chan Chi-hong.
Meanwhile, bottom side Wofoo Tai Po are in desperate need of points against visitors I-Sky Yuen Long when they meet on Sunday, while BC Rangers take on South China in another match at Sham Shui Po Sports Ground.
