Eastern stayed on course to retain the Hong Kong FA Cup as they overcame Tai Po 2-1 in a tight and tense semi-final on Sunday – but their coach Roberto Losada was still an unhappy man.
Striker Noah Baffoe scored the winning goal from the penalty spot at Mong Kok Stadium, after his first-half opener had been cancelled out by Michel Renner.
But Losada said he was “very angry” with his players, feeling they had been outworked by a Tai Po team who lost a Sapling Cup semi-final on penalties to Lee Man four days earlier.
“In the first half, it looked like we played 120 minutes on Wednesday, not them,” said Losada, who also questioned the 3pm kick-off time on a sweltering day.
“They were more eager to run and they deserved to win. They played with passion and heart. We were walking. I’m very angry.”
Baffoe gave Eastern a controversial lead after 29 minutes. He gathered Leung Kwun-chung’s forward pass before dumping Gabriel Cividini to the ground and placing a composed finish over onrushing keeper Tse Ka-wing. Defender Cividini and his teammates were incandescent when the goal was awarded following a lengthy VAR check.
