Eastern win Hong Kong FA Cup after brilliant Noah Baffoe hat-trick downs Rangers
Noah Baffoe bagged a brilliant four-minute hat-trick as Eastern retained the Hong Kong FA Cup on Saturday, beating BC Rangers 3-1 at Mong Kok Stadium.
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Leading 1-0 with 10 minutes remaining, after Lau Chi-lok's early strike, Rangers looked on course to claim the trophy for the first time since 1995.
But a previously subdued Baffoe sprang to life with time running out, when he ran onto a pass behind Rangers' defence to squeeze a shot past the onrushing Oleksii Shliakotin.
If that was a piece of predatory expertise from Baffoe, what the Spaniard did next was coated with genius. After gathering a pass from substitute Timmy Ma Hei-wai, Baffoe turned to guide a 25-yard chip beyond the helpless 6ft 5in goalkeeper Shliakotin.
Only two more minutes had elapsed when Baffoe, crowned Hong Kong footballer of the year on Wednesday, chased down a pass over the top from Clement Benhaddouche and thumped a bouncing ball inside the left post. It was his 35th goal of the season and seventh in three FA Cup matches.
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The victory for Eastern added to their success in the Senior Shield. It also secured Hong Kong's second Asian Champions League Two spot, alongside league champions Tai Po, for next season, and HK$350,000 (US$45,000) in prize money.
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