Tai Po head coach Lee Chi-kin was bewildered by the red card he received immediately after full-time of his resolute team’s victory over Eastern on Saturday.
Philip Chan Siu-kwan profited from an exceptional Joao Emir pass to score the only goal after 41 minutes at Mong Kok Stadium.
Tai Po centre-backs Marcao and Gabriel Moreira stood tall to resist second-half pressure, with Eastern boss Roberto Losada resorting to sending defender Tamirlan Kozubaev upfield for the closing stages.
With stoppage time drawing to a close, referee Yu Kin-fung allowed play to continue despite an injury for prone Tai Po forward Luizinho. An angry Lee was dismissed for voicing his grievance after the whistle.
Ushered off the field to conduct post-match duties, Lee told the Post: “I am really upset, the player was down a long time. Maybe people thought he was acting. I asked the referee why he played on, that is all. Honestly, I talked to him calmly, like this. Maybe I have to sit in the stands next week.”
Tai Po host BC Rangers next Sunday, before a seven-week wait for their next match because of the Asian Games.
Lee said the break was “too long” but admitted gratitude for an extensive period with a squad he views as a work in progress.
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Tai Po were short on creativity against Eastern, save for the unmistakable figure of Emir. The Brazilian, part of Lee’s Tai Po Premier League winning team of 2019, is evidently lacking condition. But the 34-year-old’s quality is without question.
He supplied an improvised overhead kick for Chan to head narrowly wide after 24 minutes. And when Eastern midfielder Leung Chun-pong was burgled in midfield, inviting Chan to advance, it was Emir drawing defenders and slipping a deft return pass for fellow 2019 champion Chan to finish.
Emir lasted 59 minutes before making way for Emilio Estevez, who arrived on loan after joining BC Rangers this week.
“Joao is a good talent, but you see the body situation,” Lee said. “He previously played in midfield but he cannot run. At least he can hold the ball there [up front] and, sometimes, we can rest. He did very well. I want him fitter, I am waiting for him and hope one day he can run like before.”
Lee insisted he drew no additional pleasure from beating the club he left in 2022, 12 months after moving upstairs following the appointment of Losada.
Losada, meanwhile, said responsibility for defeat fell at his feet. The Spaniard, who is planning friendly matches in China, and a domestic fixture with Lee Man, to plug Eastern’s five-week gap after next Saturday’s meeting with Kitchee, saw his side dominate possession without genuinely troubling Tai Po goalkeeper Tse Ka-wing.
“The goal came because we tried to play, it is not the fault of the players, I forced them to do this,” Losada told the Post.
“I am not disappointed, because I know what I have. We don’t have a striker right now, when we have to make changes, we can’t because we have kids on the bench.”
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