2014–15 Kitchee SC season

Kitchee SC
2014–15 season
Chairman	Ken Ng
Manager	José Molina
Premier League	1st
Senior Shield	Runners-up
FA Cup	Champions
League Cup	Champions
AFC Cup	Quarter-finals
Top goalscorer	League: ; Juan Belencoso (13); All: ; Juan Belencoso (31)
	← 2013–14 2015–16 →

The 2014–15 season was the 36th season of top-tier competitive association football played by Kitchee SC, a professional football club based in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Their first-place finish in the Hong Kong Premier League meant it was their second successive championship in Hong Kong's top division, and seventh overall.

Season overview

Pre-season

In May, following the conclusion of the 2013–14 season, chairman Ken Ng revealed that Kitchee would host French Champions Paris Saint-Germain on the 29th of July at the Hong Kong Stadium. At the press conference where this information was first revealed to the public, Ng detailed both clubs' ambitions with scheduling the friendly match, stating that Kitchee "would like to present the best football clubs to fans in Hong Kong every year and especially this year, following the World Cup. Paris Saint-Germain will be led by their world class star, Zlatan Ibrahimović, and the match against Kitchee will serve as Paris Saint-Germain’s final preparation before the team travel to Beijing for the French Super Cup.”^[1]

Paris Saint-Germain defeated Kitchee 6–2 in the July 29th friendly. Juan Belencoso headed in the opening goal at the five minute mark, but PSG's Hervin Ongenda equalized seven minutes later. Jean-Christophe Bahebeck and Zlatan Ibrahimović contributed to Paris Saint Germain's dominating performance with a brace and a hat-trick, respectively. Alex Tayo Akande netted a stoppage time goal on the counter attack to close the scoring.^[2]

Squad

As of the end of the season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	HKG	Wang Zhenpeng
2	DF	ESP	Fernando Recio
3	DF	ESP	Dani Cancela
4	DF	HKG	Chan Cham Hei
5	DF	BRA	Hélio
6	MF	HKG	Gao Wen
7	MF	HKG	Xu Deshuai
8	FW	NGA	Alex Tayo Akande
9	FW	ESP	Juan Belencoso
10	MF	HKG	Lam Ka Wai
11	MF	HKG	To Hon To
12	DF	HKG	Lo Kwan Yee
13	DF	HKG	Cheung Kin Fung
14	MF	HKG	Cheung Kwok Ming
15	MF	HKG	Christian Annan


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
16	DF	HKG	Tsang Chi Hau
17	MF	BRA	Paulinho
18	FW	ESP	Jordi Tarrés
19	MF	HKG	Huang Yang
20	MF	CAN	Matt Lam
21	DF	HKG	Tsang Kam To
22	MF	HKG	Emmet Wan
23	GK	CHN	Guo Jianqiao
24	MF	KOR	Cho Sung-Min
26	DF	HKG	Wang Hecun
27	GK	HKG	Chan Ka Ho
30	DF	HKG	Leung Ka Hai
38	MF	HKG	Ngan Lok Fung
44	MF	KOR	Kim Tae-min
88	FW	ESP	Borja Rubiato

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Kitchee	16	11	3	2	40	18	+22	36	Qualification to Champions League preliminary round 2
2	Eastern	16	10	3	3	34	20	+14	33	Qualification to season play-off^[a]
3	Pegasus	16	8	3	5	34	23	+11	27^[b]	Qualification to season play-off^[a]
4	South China	16	7	6	3	30	17	+13	27^[b]	Qualification to AFC Cup group stage^[c]
5	YFCMD	16	8	2	6	25	29	−4	26	Qualification to season play-off^[a]

Source: Hong Kong Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Fair-play points; 8) Drawing lots (Play-off if the winner has to be decided)
Notes:

^ ^a ^b As Kitchee won the FA Cup, Eastern finished 2nd in Premier League and won the Senior Challenge Shield, teams finishing 4th and 5th in Premier League entered the season play-off as well.
^ ^a ^b Pegasus wins head-to-head against South China.
^ As winners of the season play-off.

Match details

Key

Win Draw Loss

Premier League

12 September 2014 (2014-09-12) 9	Kitchee	4–1	Wofoo Tai Po	Mong Kok Stadium
20:00 UTC+8	Jordi 11' Lam Ka Wai 58', 67' Recio 86'	Report	Chen Jingde 87'	Attendance: 1,472

19 October 2014 (2014-10-19) 5	Kitchee	2–1	I-Sky Yuen Long	Mong Kok Stadium
17:30 UTC+8	Jordi 34' Xu Deshuai 79'	Report	Cheng King Ho 17'	Attendance: 926

31 October 2014 (2014-10-31) 6	Kitchee	2–1	Biu Chun Rangers	Mong Kok Stadium
20:00 UTC+8	Jordi 69' Belencoso 87'	Report	James Ha 86'	Attendance: 638

23 November 2014 (2014-11-23) 7	South China	2–2	Kitchee	Hong Kong Stadium
14:30 UTC+8	Leung Chun Pong 12' Chan Wai Ho 51'	Report	Belencoso 71' Lam Ka Wai 87'	Attendance: 2,289

6 December 2014 (2014-12-06) 8	Sun Pegasus	0–1	Kitchee	Mong Kok Stadium
17:30 UTC+8		Report	Belencoso 17'	Attendance: 1,836

11 January 2015 (2015-01-11) 10	Kitchee	2–2	South China	Mong Kok Stadium
17:30 UTC+8	Belencoso 52', 58'	Report	Russell 24' Awal 90+4'	Attendance: 3,523

24 January 2015 (2015-01-24) 11	Kitchee	1–3	Eastern	Mong Kok Stadium
17:30 UTC+8	Paulinho 45+2'	Report	Šarić 32' Liang Zicheng 71' Macallister 79'	Attendance: 2,416

28 January 2015 (2015-01-28) 2	Kitchee	4–1	YFCMD	Mong Kok Stadium
20:00 UTC+8	Xu Deshuai 11', 30' Belencoso 22' (pen.) Paulinho 65'	Report	Hady Barry 90+1'	Attendance: 518

6 February 2015 (2015-02-06) 3	Kitchee	1–0	Wong Tai Sin	Mong Kok Stadium
20:00 UTC+8	Xu Deshuai 15'	Report		Attendance: 634

28 February 2015 (2015-02-28) 1	Eastern	0–4	Kitchee	Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground
UTC+8 20:00		Report	Belencoso 25', 55' (pen.) Xu Deshuai 87' Jordi 90+2'	Attendance: 1,639

7 March 2015 (2015-03-07) 13	Kitchee	2–1	Sun Pegasus	Mong Kok Stadium
17:30 UTC+8	Jordi 16' (pen.) Matt Lam 56'	Report	Raščić 60'	Attendance: 1,849

29 March 2015 (2015-03-29) 14	Biu Chun Rangers	0–5	Kitchee	Kowloon Bay Park
15:00 UTC+8		Report	Jordi 23' Matt Lam 41' Xu Deshuai 64', 90' Annan 83'	Attendance: 582

7 April 2015 (2015-04-07) 12	Wong Tai Sin	0–2	Kitchee	Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground
14:30 UTC+8		Report	Lam Ka Wai 51' Xu Deshuai 65'	Attendance: 941

19 April 2015 (2015-04-19) 16	I-Sky Yuen Long	0–3	Kitchee	Yuen Long Stadium
17:30 UTC+8		Report	Jordi 3' Belencoso 70', 90+2'	Attendance: 1,340

2 May 2015 (2015-05-02) 17	Wofoo Tai Po	3–3	Kitchee	Tai Po Sports Ground
14:30 UTC+8	Weijl 73', 88', 90+5'	Report	Belencoso 15', 86' Paulinho 43'	Attendance: 1,063

9 May 2015 (2015-05-09) 18	YFCMD	3–2	Kitchee	Sham Shui Po Sports Ground
14:30 UTC+8	Tan Chun Lok 26' Fong Pak Lun 64' Fernando 90' (pen.)	Report	Belencoso 24' Lo Kwan Yee 56'	Attendance: 606

Senior Shield

29 November 2014 (2014-11-29) Quarter-finals	Wofoo Tai Po	2–3	Kitchee	Tsing Yi Sports Ground
14:30 UTC+8	Lam Ngai Tong 6' Chan Yuk Chi 50'	Report	Jordi 32' (pen.), 69' Paulinho 61'	Attendance: 413

27 December 2014 (2014-12-27) Semi-finals	Wong Tai Sin	0–3	Kitchee	Mong Kok Stadium
14:30 UTC+8		Report	Lam Ka Wai 27' Jordi 68' Belencoso 83'	Attendance: 1,283

17 January 2015 (2015-01-17) Final	Kitchee	2–3	Eastern	Hong Kong Stadium
14:30 UTC+8	Belencoso 38' Jordi 90+3'	Report	Miroslav 11', 83' Macallister 64'	Attendance: 6,133

FA Cup

11 April 2015 (2015-04-11) Quarter-finals	Kitchee	3–1	Wofoo Tai Po	Mong Kok Stadium
14:30 (UTC+8)	Rubiato 42' Emmet Wan 60' Christian Annan 78'	Report	Aender 70'

25 April 2015 (2015-04-25) Semi-finals	Kitchee	0–0 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p)	YFCMD	Mong Kok Stadium
15:00 (UTC+8)		Report		Attendance: 1,211
	Penalties
	Belencoso Paulinho Emmet Wan Jordi Tsang Kam To		Fong Pak Lun Díaz Moses Fernando

17 May 2015 (2015-05-17) Final	Kitchee	2–0 (a.e.t.)	Eastern	Mong Kok Stadium
15:00 (UTC+8)	Belencoso 100', 116'	Report		Attendance: 4,348

League Cup

28 October 2014 (2014-10-28) Group B	Wofoo Tai Po	1–4	Kitchee	Mong Kok Stadium
20:00 UTC+8	So Yau Tin 89'	Report	Belencoso 7', 56', 65', 90+2'	Attendance: 497

20 December 2014 (2014-12-20) Group B	Kitchee	8–0	Biu Chun Rangers	Kowloon Bay Park
14:30 UTC+8	Paulinho 10', 11' Belencoso 30', 62', 67', 77' Cheung Kwok Ming 74' Annan 89'	Report		Attendance: 470

22 March 2015 (2015-03-22) Semi-finals	Wong Tai Sin	0–1	Kitchee	Mong Kok Stadium
17:30 UTC+8		Report	Lo Kwan Yee 37'	Attendance: 1,031

22 April 2015 (2015-04-22) Final	South China	0–4	Kitchee	Mong Kok Stadium
20:00 UTC+8		Report	Paulinho 5', 12' Belencoso 77' Jordi 90+6'	Attendance: 5,082

AFC Cup

Group stage

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification	JDT	KIT	EBG	BAL
1	Johor Darul Ta'zim	6	5	0	1	11	3	+8	15	Advance to knockout stage	—	2–0	4–1	3–0
2	Kitchee	6	3	2	1	10	6	+4	11	Advance to knockout stage	2–0	—	2–2	3–0
3	East Bengal	6	1	2	3	8	10	−2	5		0–1	1–1	—	3–0
4	Balestier Khalsa	6	1	0	5	3	13	−10	3		0–1	1–2	2–1	—

Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Pre–season and friendlies

29 July 2014 (2014-07-29) Friendly	Paris Saint-Germain	6–2	Kitchee	Hong Kong Stadium
20:00 UTC+8	Ongenda 12' Bahebeck 22', 58' Ibrahimović 25', 28', 74'	Report	Belencoso 5' Akande 90'

References

^ "Paris will play a pre-season game in Hong Kong". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 2014-06-19. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
^ "Paris go on the offensive". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Retrieved 2016-08-01.

[table_note_res_SPF0.43770846791459-3] As Kitchee won the FA Cup, Eastern finished 2nd in Premier League and won the Senior Challenge Shield, teams finishing 4th and 5th in Premier League entered the season play-off as well.

[table_hth_PEG0.43770846791459-4] Pegasus wins head-to-head against South China.

[table_note_res_CUP0.43770846791459-5] As winners of the season play-off.

[ParisWillPlay-1] "Paris will play a pre-season game in Hong Kong". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 2014-06-19. Retrieved 2016-08-01.

[psgreport-2] "Paris go on the offensive". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Retrieved 2016-08-01.

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