New boys give South China glory in Canbo Senior Shield
Sasa Kajkut and Andrew Barisic make dream debuts as they help the Caroliners win the first trophy of the season in final against Pegasus
New boys Sasa Kajkut and Andrew Barisic had dream debuts for South China, both scoring to help their new club come from behind to beat Sun Pegasus 2-1 in the Canbo Senior Shield soccer final at Hong Kong Stadium on Sunday.
Bosnian Kajkut and Australian Barisic both scored in the second half to help the Caroliners win the first trophy of the season.
And after weeks of local soccer headlines dominated by match-fixing allegations, it appeared fans' appetite for the game was undimmed: the crowd of 6,800 was the biggest so far this season.
Jaimes McKee put Pegasus ahead just after 12 minutes with a spectacular volley following a neat pass from Admir Rascic, but two goals in five minutes after the break were enough for South China.
South China are a very aggressive side and I want to help them deliver in the Asian Champions League and that's also why I am here
Although Kajkut's day was marred when he was sent off after picking up a second yellow card in the 81st minute, he said it was still a dream start to his career in Asia.
"It doesn't matter if I've got sent off as long as we won the final," said the 29-year-old forward, believed to be the highest paid foreign player in Hong Kong with a monthly salary of over HK$200,000.