Kitchee roared back from an early scare to claim a commanding 5-1 victory over Lee Man in an action-packed Hong Kong Premier League clash at Mong Kok Stadium on Monday.
The visitors endured a nightmare start, finding themselves under heavy pressure and falling behind after just six minutes. However, the early wake-up call sparked an emphatic response from Kitchee, with winger Ruslan Mingazov tormenting the Lee Man defence down the left flank.
Mingazov first set up Adrián Revilla, who saw his close-range effort rattle the crossbar. Undeterred, the Spanish forward found the breakthrough in the 16th minute. After latching onto a brilliant long ball from Callum Beatte, Mingazov fed Revilla inside the box; though his initial strike was saved, he reacted quickest to nod home the rebound and draw Kitchee level.
The turnaround was complete nine minutes before the interval. Everton Camargo delivered a pinpoint corner from the left, allowing Roger Riera to react quickest and fire home his first goal for the club, sending Kitchee into the break with a 2-1 lead.
Lee Man enjoyed a bright spell early in the second half but were ruthlessly punished on the counter-attack as Kitchee struck twice in the space of a minute to put the game out of reach.
In the 55th minute, Everton dispossessed an opponent in his own half before embarking on a sensational solo run, skipping past multiple challenges to slot home Kitchee's third. Moments later, Revilla turned provider, winning back possession and launching a sweeping pass to Mingazov, who coolly converted a semi-breakaway opportunity to make it 4-1.
The rout was capped in the 66th minute when the irrepressible Mingazov turned provider once more, sliding a neat pass across to Everton, who smashed it home to seal an emphatic 5-1 victory and secure all three points for the visitors.