Tag: soccer

Aston Villa Win 2023 Soccer Sevens

Aston Villa secured a record-extending seventh HKFC Soccer Sevens title on Sunday as the Premier League outfit defeated Hong Kong’s Tai Po FC 3-0 at a packed Hong Kong Football Club to claim the trophy for the first time since 2016.

Omari Kellyman scored twice in the first half before Lee Ka-ho’s red card for a foul on the 17-year-old left Tai Po short-handed, with Frankie Ealing hitting his side’s third ahead of Luizinho’s late sending-off, which saw the Hong Kong side finish the game with five players.

“At the start of the tournament we had a disappointing result against Tai Po, so to bounce back and win all the games after that hasn’t been an easy thing to do,” said Kellyman, who ended as the tournament’s leading scorer with five goals.

“But we did it and I’m proud of the boys. It’s been a great experience. The tournament has been all about experience and to come out here and play the game I love has been great.

“The physical side of the game, the heat is very different from England. Coming out here, you’ve got to run the hard yards and do everything to the best of your ability. It’s been great.”

Hong Kong Soccer-Sevens 2023

Tai Po had pulled off a surprise 1-0 win over Villa in the group meeting between the teams on Saturday but there was to be no repeat of that result as the Premier League side raced into an early lead.

Kellyman gave Villa the perfect start when he bent the opener into the top corner with less than two minutes on the clock and, five minutes later, he doubled the advantage with another strike from outside the area, steering a low left-foot shot beyond Tse Ka Wing.

Lee’s clumsy attempt to halt Kellyman in the ninth minute saw him receive a direct red card and Villa exploited their advantage, with Ealing netting his side’s third from close range after a miss-hit attempted clearance by Tse.

Luizinho received a second yellow card seven minutes into the second half to leave Tai Po with only five players and effectively ensure Villa were crowned champions once again.

Earlier in the day, defending champions Newcastle United crashed out in the quarter-finals, losing 2-0 to Aston Villa, who took on Kitchee in the last four after the Hong Kong Premier League champions had seen off Queens Park Rangers.

Tai Po, meanwhile, notched up a 1-0 win over Leicester City to set up a semi-final meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion following their 1-0 win over fellow Premier League club Fulham.

The Hong Kong Premier League outfit eliminated Brighton & Hove Albion in a penalty shoot-out as Villa beat Kitchee to set-up the decider, with the English club ultimately emerging victorious.

Hong Kong Soccer-Sevens 2023

In the Masters Event, defending champions Wallsend Boys Club retained the title with a 2-1 sudden-death extra-time win over 2018 winners Ampcontrol Discovery Bay in the final, with Kim Dong-jin netting the winner.

Wallsend had seen off Rio Cricket Association Athletic to advance to the final for the second tournament in a row while Ampcontrol Discovery Bay defeated Hong Kong Football Club Masters to progress to the decider.

This year’s HKFC Soccer Sevens was the first since 2019 after the event was forced to take a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The 2023 HKFC Soccer Sevens has been a resounding success and I would like to thank all of our sponsors, the teams, Hong Kong Football Club members, and the fans who turned out in fantastic numbers to support this very special event,” said Hong Kong Football Club Chairman Neil Jensen. “We hope through future editions we can continue to showcase the positive qualities of our unique city and its love for this remarkable game.”

Hong Kong Soccer-Sevens 2023

Soccer Sevens
Date: 26-28 May, 2023
Venue: HK Football Club
Tickets: $200 (Weekend pass), $120 (Day ticket), Free (Friday night)
More info:
22 May (Fri): 6 – 9pm; exhibition youth matches start at 4.30pm
23 May (Sat): 9am – 7.40pm
24 May (Sun): 8:30am – 6pm

images: HK Soccer Sevens

Soccer Sevens Return

Defending back-to-back champions Newcastle United and six-time winners Aston Villa headline the Premier League clubs competing at this weekend’s Soccer Sevens, which returns for the first time in four years.

This year’s Soccer Sevens is the 21st edition of the competition, first held in 1999, and runs from 26-28 May featuring 26 teams across a main event and masters tournaments at Hong Kong Football Club.

Sixteen teams will compete in the main competition, with Aston Villa looking to win a record-extending seventh title and their first since 2016, while Newcastle will be aiming to become the first club to win the trophy at three consecutive events.

“We are delighted to be returning to the HKFC Soccer Sevens,” Mark Harrison, Aston Villa’s academy manager, said. “We are looking forward to defending our record at the tournament and our players and staff are excited to come and experience all that the tournament has to offer.”

soccers sevens newcastle champions

Other clubs coming to take part include Leicester City, who have won the event twice, as well as Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham.

They will be joined by Scottish giants Rangers as well as a Hong Kong Football Association representative side, while domestic champions Kitchee and WoFoo Tai Po will fly the flag for the city’s top flight.

In the master’s tournament, the Citi All Stars will take on defending champions Wallsend Boys Club in a 10-team event that will also boast sides representing the Portuguese Football Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association.

Neil Jensen, the HKFC chairman, said the club was “absolutely thrilled” to bring the Soccer Sevens back to the city “The last three years have been challenging for everyone, but the love of football runs deep in Hong Kong and we are looking forward to seeing some of the finest young talent in the global game back on the pitch at Hong Kong Football Club.”

Match schedule here

soccer 7s 2019

Soccer Sevens
Date: 26-28 May, 2023
Venue: HK Football Club
Tickets: $200 (Weekend pass), $120 (Day ticket), Free (Friday night)
More info:
22 May (Fri): 6 – 9pm; exhibition youth matches start at 4.30pm
23 May (Sat): 9am – 7.40pm
24 May (Sun): 8:30am – 6pm

HK Soccer Sevens Draw

HKFC Soccer Sevens 2016 draw

Premier League pacesetters Leicester City will face last year’s runners-up West Ham United at the HKFC Soccer Sevens in May after the English clubs were paired together in Group D alongside HKFA U-21 and Singapore Cricket Club following Tuesday’s draw.

Leicester won the HKFC Soccer Sevens at the second time of asking when they defeated defending champions Newcastle United 2-0 in the 2013 final after winning the Shield competition on their inaugural appearance a year earlier. The current Premier League leaders were also Plate champions in 2014 before suffering a penalty shootout defeat in the Plate final to hosts Hong Kong Football Club last year.

West Ham, meanwhile, are also HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens regulars, and enjoyed their best-ever performance at the tournament in 2015 when they finished as runners-up to Spain’s Atletico Madrid.

“It’s a fantastic draw to see HKFA U-21 pitted against the possible champions of the Premier League and a team that may well end up in the Champions League, so that’s a highlight,” said the Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Football Association Mark Sutcliffe. “It’s also a wonderful opportunity for players from Hong Kong to test themselves; we’re trying to develop football here and the only way to do that is to play against better players. I’m really looking forward to the weekend; it’s always an excellent tournament with some fantastic players of the past, present and future.”

A trio of former champions, meanwhile, will compete in Group A, where five-time winners Aston Villa will take on 2012 champions Newcastle United and local side Kitchee, who won the 2011 title.

Aston Villa are the tournament’s most decorated team having claimed the title in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2010, and have also been represented over the years by players including forward Gabby Agbonlahor, England and Chelsea centre-back Gary Cahill, Leicester midfielder Marc Albrighton and Jack Grealish, who was the competition’s top scorer in 2013 and 2014.

The group is completed by hosts Hong Kong Football Club, who enjoyed their best-ever performance at the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens last year when they won the Plate for the first time after edging out Leicester on penalties following a goalless draw.

An intriguing Group C sees Japan’s Kashima Antlers as well as debutants FC Seoul of South Korea, who replace Atlético de Madrid after the Spaniards late withdrawal, and Thai Youth Football Home face HKFC Captain’s Select

Kashima, who have won the Japanese title a record seven times, are participating in the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens for the first time since 2004 and will also be the first Japanese side to compete at the event since 2008.

FC Seoul will be Korea’s first ever representative at the tournament, while Thai Youth Football Home are to make a special appearance as they mark 10 years since the passing of their founder and former member of Hong Kong Football Club Henrik Lorenz.

Finally in Group B, Stoke City and New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix will face a yet to be named side from the Hong Kong Premier League as well as Yau Yee League Select.

Wellington enjoyed an impressive first appearance at the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens in 2015 after losing 1-0 after extra-time to Atletico in the semi-finals, while Stoke lost 2-0 to HKFC Captain’s Select in the Plate quarter-finals last year.

“We’re delighted with the line-up we’ve put together and we’re looking forward to another all-action, exciting tournament,” said HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens Tournament Director Chris Plowman.

“We’ve got clubs from as far apart as Newcastle in the north of England to Wellington in New Zealand taking part. I’m also particularly pleased to have two major soccer leagues in Asia represented in the J.League and the K-League Classic, with FC Seoul doing particularly well at the moment. And what a success story with Leicester; we’re all wondering if we’ll be welcoming the Premier League champions.”

The draw for the Masters Tournament also took place on Tuesday, with two-time champions Ajax All Stars returning to join 2015 winners USRC, HKFC Chairman’s Select, KCC Veterans and Discovery Bay in Group A.

And Group B sees 2015 finalists Wallsend Boys Club face Citi All Stars, HKFC Veterans, SCC Tigers and Yau Yee League Veterans.

“I’m really excited to come back again,” said Wallsend Boys Club’s former Sunderland, Leeds United and Newcastle United striker Michael Bridges, who scored in last year’s 2-1 final defeat by USRC. “Our team is made up of some ex-professionals and amateurs, so it’s really good that we’re flying the flag for the club. After getting to the semis two years ago and the final last year, obviously the next step is to go on and win the trophy. The tournament is a great place to see some of the up-and-coming talent and meet ex-pros. It’s so well organised and such a good event.”

Soccer Sevens
Date: 20-22 May, 2016
Venue: HK Football Club
Tickets: $300 (Weekend pass), $160 (Day ticket), Free (Friday night) from Cityline
More info:
29 May (Fri): 6 – 9pm; exhibition youth matches start at 4.45pm
30 May (Sat): 9am – 7.40pm
31 May (Sun): 9am – 6pm