Hong Kong Premier League: Eastern and R&F miss out on title in final day drama

Teams draw 0-0 at Hong Kong Stadium despite both having chances to win it until the final whistle

Eastern miss out on domestic treble while Guangzhou-based side are still waiting for first Hong Kong Premier League crown

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Eastern's Lucas tries to escape the attentions of his R&F rivals in the Hong Kong Premier League title decider at Hong Kong Stadium. Photo: HKFA

Published: 5:59pm, 11 Oct 2020Updated: 5:59pm, 11 Oct 2020

“We’re on the way,” sang the Eastern fans who had climbed Caroline Hill, adding echoes of Hong Kong football’s 1970s heyday to a thrilling final day of the 2019/20 Hong Kong Premier League season.

Ultimately, those intrepid supporters were wrong and the title was on the way to Kitchee for a fourth time in six years.

Neither Eastern nor R&F, who both stood a chance of winning the league on the final day, could finish any of the host of chances that the game threw up – especially in a dramatic last 10 minutes.

By then Kitchee were 4-0 up against bottom side Happy Valley at Mong Kok Stadium and a winner had become even more pressing for Eastern, who could have won a domestic treble having lifted the Senior Shield and FA Cup in recent weeks.

Eastern pose before the match against R&F at Hong Kong Stadium. Photo: HKFA

R&F could have snatched a late winner, too, but were left to rue what could have been after seeing their lead slip in the last few weeks of the season.