South China suffer humiliating loss in opening regional cup tie
Vietnamese side dominated in the first half, but came under pressure after the break
Local champions South China suffered a humiliating 3-1 defeat at the hands of Vietnamese side Vissai Ninh Binh in an AFC Cup group match on Wednesday night.
It was a big setback for the Caroliners, kicking off their campaign at Hong Kong Stadium before a small crowd of just 2,100.
In contrast, Kitchee scored an impressive 5-0 away win over Tampines Rovers in their group H match in Singapore.
Playing in the regional competition is much more demanding, allowing you little room for making the kind of mistakes we sometimes make on the domestic front
In the Hong Kong clash, two goals in the first half of the group G match, and then another in the opening minutes of the second period gave the Vietnamese side a commanding lead.
Although South China worked hard to pull one back through a header from Chan Siu-ki - his first goal after returning from the China league this season, it was not enough to prevent a disastrous result in their regional cup tie.
Captain Chan Wai-ho said a lapse of concentration in their defence cost them dearly.
"Playing in the regional competition is much more demanding, allowing you little room for making the kind of mistakes we sometimes make on the domestic front," said the Hong Kong international.
"We had an improved second half and came close on a number of occasions, but the deficit was too big.