Kitchee to battle it with Eastern in Hong Kong Premier League title showdown on Sunday
- Kitchee suffer a 2-1 loss to Pegasus but the champions can still win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons
- Pegasus and Lee Man will compete for third place to secure a 2022 AFC Cup berth
Kitchee and Eastern Long Lions will fight it out for the Hong Kong Premier League title in the Championship Group on Sunday after the title race took another turn at Mong Kok Stadium on Wednesday.
Champions Kitchee suffered their second straight defeat after they lost to Tin Shui Wai Pegasus 2-1 at a baking hot Mongkok Stadium. Eastern also suffered a hiccup to their title hopes by losing to Lee Man the previous day. With Kitchee and Eastern both on 34 points, it comes down to a grand finale. The Championship Group title decider will be staged at Hong Kong Stadium.
Pegasus scored their first victory over the domestic giants in nine years with the win, thanks to a second-half set piece when Lau Hok-ming tapped home from close range after a throw-in from the right.
The winning goal came just two minutes after Clement Benhaddouche equalised for Kitchee after slotting home a Matthew Orr cross midway through the second half. Sun Ming-him had put Pegasus ahead with an early goal in the eighth minute in front of a 1,357 holiday crowd.
“We know it all comes down to Sunday to decide the title,” said Kitchee manager Chu Chi-kwong. “But the schedule is also killing us as Kitchee must play three matches in nine days in the play-off round.