Paul Scholes EPl vs HK
It was always going to be a battle akin to that of David and Goliath, as Leslie Santos’ Hong Kong team met a host of ex-English Premier League and big names such as Paul Scholes, Robbie Fowler and Steve MacManaman. However, both sport and sportsmanship came on top as the hosts, the Hong Kong Legends, almost turned the tide against the visitors to a nail-biting finish after a poor start with the older players.
It’s not often that we see major teams play here, so when the Sky Kids’ All Star English Premier League squad arrived in Hong Kong, they were met with a barrage of local media attention heralding a much anticipated match between a Hong Kong Legends team. On the night, excitement crackled as enthusiastic fans passed into the stadium, many sporting shirts of their favorite EPL players that they had come to see. The most favored among local players was Leslie Santos, whose roots are in Macau and is widely seen as the best ever player from the territory to date.
With ex-members of some of the best teams in the world, Hong Kong Legends were the minnows coming into the match, but backed by the support of their home fans, they were to prove a surprise.
The first 13 minutes saw two goals from the visitors. First, former Liverpool and Spain winger and midfielder, Luis Garcia, made the assist to ex-
Liverpool and French international player Robert Pires who then converted the pass with a winning chip in the 8th minute. Five minutes later, Leslie Santos powered a long shot, narrowly missing the netting. A minute later, the former Spurs and England midfielder Darren Anderton took advantage of poor clearance to score, making it 2-0. At the 16th minute it was Pires, the Frenchman of Portuguese descent, who again netted after a neat cross by Ex Liverpool and Benfica defender Steve Harkness.
Ten minutes later, the EPL All-
EPl All Star onto pitch
Stars then went up to 4.0 and then former Manchester United midfielder rocketed in the goal of the match with an astonishing low ball into the net from near the middle of the pitch and he was greeted with the appreciative crowd delirious with joy.
It took the Hong Kong Legends until the 29th minute to finally score when Lam Hing-
Wei set up Tam Siu-wai near the box who finished shooting low. Wong Fuk-Hng made it 5-2 confidently with a rebound from his first attempt. The home crowd went wild chanting: “We are Hong Kong. We are Hong Kong”.
The All Stars went up again with a masterful free kick goal from ex-Liverpool and Manchester United prolific goal scorer, Robbie Fowler, and Scholes almost netted another just before half time. Hong Kong legends missed three good chances to score in the next 18 minutes but 3 minutes later Chiu Chung-man curled a free kick home, the Hong Kong legends now trailing 5-3. In the 75th minute, a converted penalty saw Wong Fuk-Hing obtaining his double of the evening.
The EPL team had one last chance to up the score when former Manchester United winger Keith Gillespie’s shot on goal was stopped by the Hong Kong keeper.
The former Hong Kong First Division player John Pimlott talked to MDT later about the match. “The first twenty minutes the Hong Kong team were no contest… 3 goals down, until they brought in some of the younger players, I suppose they were making a thank you. The EPL players showed off their skills. They didn’t need to put them to the sword. It was more about EPL players showing off their skills”.
Pimlott who also trained with Manchester City players as a schoolboy, said Paul Scholes was “head and shoulders above the rest, in terms of technique, shots, passing and reading the game. It was one of the best goals I’ve ever seen.”
“It was fantastic to see (some of) the best EPL players over the past 20 years”, headded.
Pimlott was especially happy to have the EPL team here as it was chance to catch up with childhood All Stars Ben Thornley, a former Manchester United winger over a beer and reminisce about their junior football days in Manchester. Robert Carroll, MDT Correspondent, Hong Kong
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