Kitchee hold Cerezo Osaka in AFC Champions League but wait on place in round of 16
- Hong Kong Premier League champions draw 0-0 with J. League side in AFC Champions League bubble in Thailand
- Kitchee’s 11 points could see them through as one of best second-place teams depending on Daegu FC and Gamba Osaka results
Alex Chu Chi-kwong’s side needed to beat the J. League outfit to win the group and secure progress to the round of 16 but were left ruing a late Matt Orr chance after holding out against a dominant Cerezo.
The 0-0 draw meant Kitchee finished on 11 points, three points behind group winners Cerezo, and still in with a shout of a place in the knockout stage as one of the three best runners-up.
A first appearance in the knockouts relies on results in the final games in groups H and I.
Group H winners South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors take on second place Gamba Osaka of Japan later tonight.
In group I it is second place Daegu FC of South Korea against the third-place Filipino debutants United City FC tomorrow.
How to watch Hong Kong’s teams in AFC Cup and Champions League
Kitchee had only one win at AFC Champions League level before this season.
In Friday’s other group J game Thai side Port FC beat Guangzhou FC 5-1. The Chinese Super League side finished without a single point in six matches but did register their first goal at the tournament in their final game.
