Tai Po met up with Eastern in Kowloon Bay Park on Wednesday night for the JC Sapling Cup Group A fixture. Tai Po beat Eastern by 2:1.
Tai Po met up with Eastern in Kowloon Bay Park on Wednesday night for the JC Sapling Cup Group A fixture. Tai Po beat Eastern by 2:1.
Tai Po demonstrated their attacking prowess right from the start. In the 6th minute, Chan Siu Kwan Philip narrowly missed a headed goal off a corner kick. Shortly after, Michel Renner made a penetrating run into the penalty area but was foiled by the timely intervention of Marcos.
Maintaining their dominance, Tai Po finally broke the deadlock in the 17th minute. Estevez Emilio's precise left-wing free-kick found its way into the box, where Marcos Geraldino Dos Santos Junior rose above the defenders and expertly nodded the ball into the net, giving Tai Po a well-deserved 1:0 lead.
In the 24th minute, Tai Po further widened the gap. Estevez Emilio, who had been instrumental throughout the game, delivered a pinpoint cross from the left flank, and Luiz Humberto capitalized on the opponent's defensive lapse, calmly slotting the ball home near the goalpost to make it 2:0.
Eastern, trailing by two goals, had their chances to mount a comeback. In the 43rd minute, Leung Kwun Chung's close-range attempt from Wong Ho Chun's left-wing free-kick was thwarted by the vigilant opposition defense. At halftime, Tai Po maintained a comfortable 2:0 advantage.
Eastern started the second half with a flurry of attacks. Wong Ho Chun delivered a teasing cross from the left, finding Leung Kwun Chung at the far post, but his header narrowly missed the target.
In the 60th minute, Tai Po launched their offensive onslaught. Marcos Geraldino Dos Santos Junior connected with a corner-kick delivery and headed the ball to Michel Renner,the latter pulled the trigger in close-range but the goalkeeper’s quick reflexes denied him with a foot save. Just two minutes later, Chan Siu Kwan Philip latched onto a precise through pass, but his angled shot from inside the box failed to hit the mark.
In the dying minutes of the game, Eastern threw everything they had, resulting in a consolation goal in the 71st minute. Gurung Prabhat connected with Leung Kwun Chung's pinpoint right-wing corner kick, directing a header towards the goalmouth, and Wong Ho Yin was there to tap it in from close range, reducing the deficit to 1:2.
Eastern had a golden opportunity to equalize before the final whistle, but Wong Ho Yin's header from a long pass hitting the crossbar were agonizingly close. In the end, Tai Po held on to their slender lead, securing a hard-fought 2:1 victory over Eastern and maintaining their position at the top of Group A in the JC Sapling Cup.