“The players have to be praised,” Rangers coach Poon Man-chun said. “It was a hard-earned result especially when we went down 1-0 early in the second half.
Lam Ka-wai (left) of Rangers beats Ho Chun-ting to the ball. Photo: BC Rangers
“But they never gave up. We gained a numerical advantage after they had one player sent off in the last 10 minutes but still the boys had to score the goals.
“As a coach, we prepare them for the game, and give them instructions during the match. In the end, they are the ones who finish the job on the field.”
Belitardo Jnr admitted he was thrilled to help his team reach the final, his second in Hong Kong after steering Yuen Long to the Senior Shield trophy in 2018.
“It was an exciting game and absolutely a good performance from us,” he said. “We were 1-0 down in the second half but we fought together, and supported each other before getting such an important result.”
The 32-year-old Brazilian is planning to become a naturalised player for Hong Kong, and will return to his home country at the end of the season to get the necessary documents before coming back to the city to apply for a passport.
Walter Belitardo Jnr is brought down by Tomas Maronesi for a penalty. Photo: BC Rangers
Rangers were the more determined side in the first half, creating a number of chances that should have put them into the lead. Belitardo Jnr came close to scoring when his powerful shot from the right – which had already beaten the goalkeeper – was cleared in front of the line by Southern defender Kota Kawase.
Against the run of play, Southern opened the scoring in front of a crowd of more than 1,200 fans after Stefan Pereira hit the target from outside the box with a direct free-kick, just 10 minutes into the second half.
Rangers brought on another striker in Lam Hok-hei to try to close the gap and they did not have to wait too long for the all-important equaliser. A cross from the right by Lo Kwan-yee was cleared by the Southern defence but Kim Minkyu hit a first-time volley from the edge of the box, giving goalkeeper Ng Wai-him no chance.
Jean Kilama (left) and Southern’s Kessi dos Santos battle for the ball. Photo: HKFA
Southern then saw Kawase sent off for a second booking in the 82nd minute and soon after Rangers found their winning goal.
“It was a disappointing result as we did not live up to expectations,” Southern manager Calvin Pui Ho-wang said. “We lost a lot of second balls and gave the opposition their chances.
“We will have to focus on our last league match against Football Club to maintain third place in the table before taking on Lee Man in the last match of the season in the Sapling Cup final.”
On Monday, favourites Kitchee will meet Eastern in the other semi-final. The two sides met in the Senior Shield final with Kitchee winning the first trophy of the season on penalties.
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