Kaka, Giggs, and Lee Hong Lim Impress in Chinese New Year Cup
- SK
- Feb 2
- 3 min read
Fans were treated to a footballing spectacle on the traditional fourth day of the Chinese New Year Cup, when international football icons such as Kaká, David Silva, Eden Hazard lined up against Hong Kong footballing legends Leslie Santos, Huang Yang, and Chan Siu Ki. Like last year's edition of the historic cup, there were goals aplenty, with the match having to go to penalties after a thrilling 3-3 final score with the World Legends winning the penalty shootout to lift the trophy in front of 20,013 spectators.
Now in its 95th iteration, the cup has seen multiple formats over the years, and in 2025 it was the return of the legends format that excited matchgoers and Hong Kong football fans alike. A star studded lineup of Kaka, Eden Hazard, and Paul Scholes captured the attention of many, and with new additions to the Hong Kong Legends lineup, such as Lo Kwan Yee and former Hong Kong Representative Team captain Huang Yang, it was sure to be a massive event.
As was the case last year, there were multiple events and activities organised by ProEvents and FWD Insurance, the title sponsor of the Lunar New Year Cup. This included meet and greets, autograph sessions, as well as football clinics and visits to the newly opened Giant Panda Adventure at Ocean Park.
By the time the match started though, it was clear everyone was here to play. To the surprise of many, it was the Hong Kong Legends that broke the deadlock at the half hour mark. A well-executed counterattack saw Chan Siu Ki barrelling down the right flank on the before squaring the ball to Lee Hong Lim for a easy finish. Giggs replied for the World Legends with an impressive no-look finish from a tight angle eight minutes later, before Lee Hong Lim once again found himself one-on-one with Petr Čech with just one minute of stoppage time remaining. The former Eastern and South China winger calmly side footed the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-1 to the Hong Kong Legends during the Half-Time break.
Half-time saw David James participate in a penalty shootout competition featuring the participants of the then-unreleased viuTV show "Goal To Success" (足球女將) against the Hong Kong Women's Representative Team.
Once the second half kicked off, it was the half-time show's star David James who miscalculated Ju Ying Zhi's speculative shot, the ball lifting over his outstretched arm doubling the Hong Kong Legends' lead.
It wasn't until the 75th minute when Ryan Giggs once again showed his skill to curl in a pin-perfect cross to Luis Garcia, who headed in to halve the deficit. On the 88th minute, former AC Milan player and fan-favourite Keisuke Honda also lofted in a well-crafted cross into Cisse, whose header was saved by Fan Chun Yip. Unfortunately for him, the ball rebounded into the path of Luis Garcia and the World Legends were level.
With the score ending all square at 3-3, it was time for the penalty shootouts. By the time the penalties have reached its climax at 5-5, Keisuke Honda buried his shot into the net, while Lo Kwan Yee, fresh from his Sapling Cup title with Hong Kong Rangers, had his shot saved by David James. This meant another win for the visiting team, 3(6) - 3(5) the final score.
