Kitchee's Senior Shield campaign came to an abrupt end on Saturday (24 Oct) as holders Tai Po staged a stunning second-half comeback to secure a 4-2 victory and eliminate the clinical Blues at the quarter-final stage.
The big team news for Kitchee saw young defender Liang Kui Chung handed his professional debut, starting at right-back. Kitchee broke the deadlock after 34 minutes; Tan Chun Lok turned provider with a precise pass into the box, finding Junior who controlled deftly before smashing his effort home to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at the break.
However, the game turned on its head in a catastrophic six-minute spell directly after the restart. Kitchee's defence capitulated, conceding three quick-fire goals in the 46th, 48th, and 52nd minutes to leave them staring at a 3-1 deficit.
Everton Carmago offered a glimmer of hope in the 56th minute, latched onto a well-timed pass from Yumemi Kanda before driving into the penalty area to rifle home and reduce the arrears to 3-2.
Any hopes of a dramatic Kitchee comeback were firmly extinguished in the 76th minute when Tai Po struck their fourth of the afternoon, sealing a 4-2 defeat and condemning the heavyweights to an early tournament exit.