Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Hong Kong: Chan Yuen-ting made history on Friday evening after her Eastern side beat South China 2-1 at the Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground to be crowned champions of the Hong Kong Premier League.
The visitors got off to an excellent start when Giovane fired them ahead in the 27th minute, before the Brazilian doubled his and his side’s tally on the stroke of halftime.
South China did pull one back on the hour mark when Ryan Griffiths successfully converted from the penalty spot, although they were just unable to find the equaliser as their opponents held out for all three points.
The victory was enough to see Eastern claim an unassailable seven-point lead at the top of the table, securing their first league crown in two decades.
To add even more significance to their triumph, Chan is now the first-ever female coach to have led a professional men’s team to a top-flight championship.
What makes her success more remarkable is the fact that she is still only 27 and is in her first season in the top job, after taking over from Yeung Ching-kwong last December.
Eastern were also in the running to win the Hong Kong FA Cup until last weekend, when a 1-0 defeat to Yuen Long saw them eliminated in the quarter-finals.