Hong Kong Defends Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup SoccerHong Kong League XI defended the title here Saturday in the second leg of the 23rd Guangdong-Hong Kong Inter-port Cup soccer tournament, scoring a 2-1 victory on aggregate over the two legs.It has been 11 years for Hong Kong to remain the cup in a row. But Guangdong took the advantage in the two-side traditional contest inaugurated in 1979 with a total of 16 victories in the past 23 years. "I am not satisfied with my players' performance today. They could not bring into play and carry out my plan when their opponents tackled toughly in the whole match, " said Guangdong's head coach Cheng Yuliang. Hong Kong League XI, nine of the first line-up are foreigners, dominated the match with their height and hard tackles. They outshot their rivals with 18 attempts while their opponents did only once in the match. But the hosts scored when forward Gerardo Javier Laterza put a penalty home in the 53rd minute. Hong Kong League XI was held by Guangdong 2-2 draw a week ago in the first leg in Guangzhou. Guangdong players are mostly made up of their under-20 National Games squad which aiming for the title in the coming Games in Guangdong in November. |
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