Valencia victorious in Hong Kong

Valencia CF have been crowned champions of the mini-league at the LFP World Challenge Asian Tour with 10 points. Hong Kong Rangers finished second and Villarreal CF third. Thousands of fans turned out to enjoy the matches, especially the Valencian derby, where the full quality of the Liga BBVA was on display. 

Valencia CF collected six points in its first match in the mini-league. Juan Antonio Pizzi’s men opened the scoring thanks to a goal from Vinicius. Óscar Rodríguez equalised for the Chinese team with the help of Juan Bernat and it was a thrilling finish as the Ché clinched the win in the dying minutes. First Dani Parejo and then Paco Alcácer, with a cool volley from the edge of the box, capped off the 1-3 scoreline. 

The most exciting clash in the event was provided by the two Spanish teams. It was a Valencian derby in Hong Kong and thousands of fans travelled to the Mongkok Stadium to enjoy it. It was a tight match that was decided late on when Paco Alcácer was fouled in the box and then went on to convert the penalty to seal the 1-0 scoreline. 

The mini-league ended with the match between the hosts, Hong Kong Rangers, who proved to be very competitive throughout, and Villarreal. The match, which ended in a draw (1-1), provided an opportunity to see some of the emerging players at Villarreal CF. The young Pablo González opened the scoring but Lam equalised. The Yellows had chances to go ahead again but the Chinese defence proved very strong and managed to keep their opponents out. In the end, two points each left Hong Kong Rangers second and Villarreal third.