Tai Po met up with Kitchee in Tai Po Sports Ground on Saturday afternoon for the 2024-25 Boc Life Hong Kong Premier League clash. Tai Po beat Kitchee by 1:0.

The hosts came out of the blocks firing, with an early chance in the 7th minute. Lee Ka Ho whipped in a cross from the right flank, and Lucas Da Silva pounced on a poor clearance, unleashing a powerful drive from the edge of the area, but the keeper was equal to it.

Tai Po continued to press, and two minutes later, Igor Sartori's corner kick found Gabriel Roberto, whose header was flicked on by Lucas Da Silva at close range, only to be punched clear by the alert goalkeeper.

Kitchee weathered the early storm and began to create chances of their own. Luis Machado tested the keeper with a shot from Ruslan Mingazov’s pass, while Fiel Welthon squandered a golden opportunity in the 20th minute, racing onto Walter Junior’s through ball but dragging his left-footed effort just wide in a one-on-one situation.

The visitors came agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock in the 24th minute. Fiel Welthon, latching onto Aaron Rey's pass, turned sharply and unleashed a thunderbolt that rattled the crossbar. The sides went into the break deadlocked at 0:0 draw.

Tai Po came out with renewed vigor after the interval. On the hour mark, Benavides Nicolas' cross from the left caused havoc, with Fynn Talle’s miscontrol falling to Igor Sartori, but his shot sailed over the bar from close range.

The home side continued to knock on the door. Two minutes later, Mitchel Renner's delivery from the left found Chan Siu Kwan Philip, whose goal-bound effort was parried away by the keeper. Igor Sartori then tried his luck from distance in the 65th minute, forcing a fingertip save.

The breakthrough finally came in the 73rd minute. Marcos Santos' long ball into the danger zone was met by Lucas Da Silva, a man who outmuscled Ngan Cheuk Pan before firing home with his right foot, sending the home crowd into raptures.

Kitchee, now chasing the game, nearly equalized in the 79th minute. A slick one-two between Fernando Augusto and Walter Junior carved open the defense, but Fernando Augusto's goal-bound shot was heroically cleared off the line by Weverton. As the clock ticked into stoppage time, Kitchee won a corner. Walter Junior’s delivery found Luis Machado, whose powerful header was tipped over by the in-form Tai Po keeper.

The keeper continued to frustrate Kitchee, denying both Ruslan Mingazov and Luis Machado from close range in the dying.

In the end, Tai Po held firm to secure a hard-fought 1:0 victory, stunning title contenders Kitchee and bagging all three points in this crucial fixture.

Tai Po 1:0 Kitchee