Image via hkfa
Jack Sealy, Godfred Karikari and Jaimes Mckee were all in the starting lineup this time. Mckee was playing as a winger, a position that he is not familiar with, yet performed quite well. Many times you see him ran down the side and creates goal scoring opportunities with some accurate crosses. Hong Kong could have scored in the 90 minutes official time, if we have better finishing. However, the game went on to be goalless in 90 minutes. As well as the 30 minutes extra time.
The penalty shootout was an unforgettable one. Hong Kong keeper, Yapp Hung Fai, saved two penalties during the first 5 rounds. On the other hand, Guangdong keeper, Yang Zhi too, saved two but was injured after he saved the first penalty and unable to continue after he saved the second. Rule states that goalkeeper who is injured and unable to continue during the shootout MAY BE REPLACED by a named substitute provided his team has not used the maximum number of substitutes permitted under the competition rules. However, players other than goalkeeper may not be replaced. In this case, Guangdong team should be allowed to change their goalkeeper as they hadn’t used up their maximum number of subs, but the referee refused to let Guangdong replace their keeper. Therefore, Wang Weilong took on his spot but failed to save any penalties while Yapp Hung Fai saved Guangdong’s seventh penalty kick.
Many criticized the referee for not letting Guangdong replace their goalkeeper as this was the vital element that led to Guangdong failure to win the cup. Yet, Hong Kong team had created more chances throughout the game and managed to keep most of their penalty kicks on target. So, congrats to Hong Kong team and all the players, especially those who participate in this cup for the first time. I am sure this trophy means a lot to them! Keep going.
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