Hong Kong dominated Fiji 8-0 in the 51st King's Cup third-place playoff after their opponents received two red cards in the first half, creating an overwhelming 11-versus-9 advantage.
The match began dramatically with Fiji reduced to 10 men in the 12th minute when captain Ratu was sent off for elbowing Hong Kong's Ngan Cheuk-pan in the face following a VAR review. Just four minutes later, Fiji's Ilisoni received another red for swinging his arm during a challenge with Ngan, leaving the Pacific islanders with only nine players.
Hong Kong immediately capitalized on their numerical advantage. Jesse Yu headed home Everton Camargo's cross in the 17th minute to open the scoring. Juninho extended the lead to 2-0 in the 26th minute after capitalizing on a defensive error.
Photo: HKFA
Photo: HKFA
The team then unleashed an offensive burst, scoring three more goals within five minutes before halftime. Raphael Merkies headed in the third, Jesse Yu completed his brace, and Juninho added his second to make it 5-0 at the break.
Hong Kong continued pressing in the second half despite the already comfortable lead. A Fiji own goal in the 51st minute made it 6-0. Everton seized his chance in the 74th minute to score the seventh, before Philip Chan sealed the match two minutes later to complete the 8-0 rout.
The victory secured Hong Kong third place in this year's King's Cup, marking the team's first eight-goal game in two years and a significant milestone in their recent campaign.
