Hong Kong team Kitchee made history at the Hong Kong Football Club earlier today when then beat some of the top sides in Liverpool (England) and Rangers (Scotland) to advance to the Final against another Glasgow side, Celtic.

Kitchee completed a dream season when they beat Scottish giants Celtic 1-0 to win the HKFC Citibank International Soccer Sevens on Sunday (15 May).

Nine days after clinching the Hong Kong league title for the first time in 47 years, Kitchee delighted local fans by adding the Soccer Sevens crown.

Spanish striker Roberto Losada (pictured above) was their hero, scoring the only goal midway through the second half of the final at Hong Kong Football Club.

“It is a special year for us,” he said. “To win the league and then the Soccer Sevens for the first time is a dream come true. We can all go away on holiday now and be very happy with our season.

“We were confident coming into this tournament, although we knew it would be tough, especially against the English and Scottish teams. We played with 100 per cent commitment and we controlled the ball well in the final.”

The final was a tense affair with the teams evenly matched but, once Losada made the breakthrough, the seasoned professionals of Kitchee played out the game in comfort against a youthful Celtic side.

Kitchee became the first Hong Kong team to win the Soccer Sevens since Instant Dict beat Chelsea in 2000.

On a day of upsets at Hong Kong Football Club, Kitchee put paid to Scottish visitors Rangers and English giants Liverpool on their way to clinching the title.

An Ubay Luzardo penalty and a drive from Lam Ka Wai gave them a 2-0 win over Rangers in the quarter-finals.

They then stunned Liverpool – who had looked the tournament’s form team – with a 2-1 success in the semi-finals. Lo Kwan Yee put Kitchee ahead before the Reds’ Nathan Eccleston brought the scores level. But Liverpool’s army of Hong Kong fans were left disappointed when Jose Diaz popped up with the golden goal winner in extra time.

Kitchee celebrate winning the HKFC Citibank International Soccer Sevens after their 1-0 victory over Scottish giants Celtic on Sunday (15 May). Pic: John Donker/Hong Kong Football Club.

Liverpool delighted their army of fans in Hong Kong with a string of powerful displays at the HKFC Citibank International Soccer Sevens on Saturday (14 May).

The Reds – making their debut in the tournament – won all three of their group games without conceding a goal to march into the Cup quarter-finals.

Striker David Amoo got them moving with the only goal against Hong Kong U18s and the same player was on target again, with Spanish wonderkid Suso notching a double, in a 3-0 victory over the local Yau Yee League Select.

Liverpool then turned on the gas in their Group A decider against Celtic, earning a convincing 3-0 win thanks to a brace from Nathan Eccleston and a neat finish from Tom Ince – son of former Liverpool and England star Paul.

“They played well and stayed focused,” said delighted Reds coach Pep Segura. “It’s a new experience for the players, it’s a big pitch for seven-a-side and it’s a little slow because it has not rained. But at this moment they are doing OK.”

The young Liverpool players departed to huge cheers and were besieged by excited autograph hunters as they headed for the dressing room.

“This is the power of the club, the name of Liverpool is famous throughout the world and it is fantastic to get a reception like this,” added Segura, whose team will play Hong Kong First Division side Citizen in the Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.

Strong start for Villa

Aston Villa made a strong start to the defence of their Soccer Sevens crown with three straight victories to top their group. Harry Forrester and Andreas Weimann were the stars of the show, bagging four goals each.

The duo scored a brace apiece as Villa beat the HKFC Captain’s Select 4-0, then Forrester netted another double and Weimann was on target again in a 3-0 victory over English non-league side Eastleigh.

Weimann and captain Jonathan Hogg were the scorers as the Soccer Sevens champions beat Citizen 2-0 to win Group C.

“It’s a perfect start – we’ve come here and done the job that we had to do,” said Hogg. “The team was solid today and we just need to keep it going for tomorrow. The teams are a lot different and play different styles but we coped well with everything that came at us.

“Andreas and Harry are doing really well, they’ve done most of the work for us and scored some great goals. You’ve got to beat the best if you want to win the tournament and no matter who we get we will put up a fight, as we always do.”

Villa – five-time winners of the Soccer Sevens since the tournament was first held in 1999 – will play Celtic in the quarter-finals.

In the Masters competition, the former English Premier League professionals of the Citibank All Stars qualified for the Cup quarter-finals but had to be content with second place in Group B.

Top Class FC – a team comprising ex-Hong Kong First Division stars – finished ahead of them after the two teams played out a goalless draw in the group decider.

The tournament concludes on Sunday with the knockout stages of both the Main and Masters competitions.

Aston Villa’s Andreas Weimann takes on the Eastleigh defence during the Premiership club’s 3-0 victory at the HKFC Citibank International Soccer Sevens on Saturday (14 May). Pic: John Donker/Hong Kong Football Club

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