Hong Kong Premier League decider: Kitchee fight back to draw with Lee Man and retain title
- Point is enough for Kitchee as top two in the table share spoils in their final-day showdown
- Lee Man, who needed a win, lead twice but substitute Andrew Russell heads in free kick to level it for defending champions
Kitchee held off a determined Lee Man as they twice came from behind to force a 2-2 draw and clinch the BOC Life Premier League championship in a final-day thriller.
The result gave Kitchee their third league title in a row, their sixth in the nine years since the Premier League was established and the 12th top-flight crown in their history, as they finished the season on 46 points, two ahead of second-placed Lee Man.
Ruslan Mingazov of Kitchee was sent off for a second booking in the 64th minute of a tense title decider in which referee Tam Ping-wun also handed out 12 yellow cards.
But despite being reduced to 10 men, the leaders battled to the draw they needed and remained on course for a treble, having won the Senior Shield in January and with the FA Cup final against BC Rangers to come on Saturday.
In front of a 6,400 sold-out crowd at Mong Kok Stadium, Lee Man, who had to win to overtake their opponents and claim their first league title, had a brilliant start.