Sapling Cup final: Southern thump shell-shocked Lee Man for surprise triumph
Lee Man left reeling by three goals in 10 first-half minutes, before Sohgo Ichikawa completes rout
Southern delivered an extraordinary Sapling Cup final performance to beat shell-shocked Lee Man 4-0 and win the second trophy of the club’s history.
A Jonatan Acosta goal midway through the first half was quickly followed by strikes from Stefan Pereira and Kessi Isac, before Sohgo Ichikawa completed the scoring after half-time.
The outcome repeated that of the final of two years ago, when Southern prevailed 2-0 against the same opponents.
For the losers, this was a desperate afternoon. Lee Man’s array of expensive overseas talent could not match the hunger and aggression of their underdog opponents.
Everton Camargo, so often the team’s get-out-of-jail card, was booked after five minutes and struggled to wield any meaningful influence. His side was already 3-0 down when he drilled a 43rd-minute free-kick millimetres past the post.
Things had looked more auspicious for Lee Man when Sky Ngan Ngo-tin, Southern’s goalkeeper, had to brilliantly react to tip over Samuel Rosa’s header from an early Camargo delivery.