Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Hong Kong: South China secured a comprehensive 4-0 win over Malaysia’s Kelantan in the AFC Cup on Tuesday at Hong Kong’s Mongkok Stadium to claim third place in Group G.
Midfielder Lee Hong Lim gave the hosts the lead with his second goal of the tournament with three minutes remaining of the first half, and after the interval Andrew Barisic doubled the lead on the 75th minutes.
Substitute Lo Kong Wai scored within a minute of taking the field with just eight minutes remaining of the game but there was still time for Australian Barisic to complete his brace with another goal in stoppage time to secure all three points for the Caroliners and cement an emphatic win.
“I’m satisfied with the performance and I’m glad to have a clean sheet,” said South China coach Yeung Ching Kwong. “We had good covering and positioning. Recently in training the team has performed really well.”
The result caps off an impressive turn around for the Hong Kong side who had been bottom of the group after losing their first three fixtures in a row but enjoyed a mini resurgence after the halfway point of the group stage to pick up seven points from the final three games.
In the previous meeting between the sides in March, Kelantan secured a 2-0 victory in Kota Bharu, but the visitors never looked like repeating the result in a stifling night in the heart of Hong Kong.
The first minutes showed some parity but ultimately it was the home side that dominated the early exchanges.
The Caroliners enjoyed the meat of possession, but for much of the first half their assembled striking talent could not find the wherewithal to put away their numerous attempts on goal.
They were, however, rewarded for their persistence in the closing minutes of the half, with striker Lee Wai Lim putting in a clinical pass to Lee Hong Lim on the left, who came in diagonally to open the scoring and send the hosts into the dressing room with a slender lead.
They needed to wait a further half hour to add to their tally. After good buildup Barisic took a well-placed pass from the left flank and the big Australian beat his man before calmly slotting the ball over the Kelantan line.
And the third wasn’t long in coming with a dejected Kelantan defending badly to allow substitute Lo Kong Wai to make it 3-0 on 81 minutes.
The Caroliners operated a shoot-on-sight policy after this, which was rewarded with Barisic getting his brace mere seconds before the final whistle.
Kelantan coach Zahasmi bin Ismail was magnanimous in defeat. “Congratulations to South China, this team is very good – for me my team made many mistakes,” he said.