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
“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.
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.
A win was the only result that mattered for either side and both sides started off brightly at a sunny So Kon Po.
As it happened: Kitchee claim memorable HKPL title win
The game petered out after the first half water break, with tactical fouls and yellow cards outnumbering clear chances, but that changed after the break with news that Kitchee were 1-0 up.
The game kicked into life as time wore on and the chants from the fans only got louder as full-time drew nearer.
Kitchee probably have R&F keeper Zhou Yuchen to thank for their title win. His smart point-blank double save with 10 minutes to go proved pivotal. By then Everton Camargo, Joao Emir or Lucas should have already given Eastern the lead but had missed decent chances as the pressure mounted.
Both sides still chased a winner. Eastern should have taken the lead in the final moments of normal time. Giovane missing a Sartori cross, sliding in just too late to the wideman’s annoyance.
Injury time brought more chances. Someone really should have scored for Eastern as the ball flew across the face of the goal before their own keeper Yapp Hung-fai saved smartly from a Serge Deble scorcher before Matthew Lam fired over.
There was still time for a red card for Dudu, picking up a second yellow for hacking down danger man Everton Camargo, and the resulting free kick to be headed over by Chak Ting-fung from six yards out.
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As it was no one could write their name into club folklore on either side. R&F, who will play next season in Hong Kong rather than Guangzhou, will have to wait another year for their first HKPL title. Eastern might not get a better chance at the treble.
Still, it was a dramatic end to a season that began in August 2019 and – first through Hong Kong’s anti-government protests and then the coronavirus pandemic – stretched out for 14 months. At points it looked like it may never finish at all.
In the end only six teams completed the campaign from the 10 who started it and there will be an asterisk against Kitchee’s title win, not that it will dampen their celebrations or the disappointment of either of these sides.
They will have to put that aside quickly ahead of the new season, which starts on October 24.
