On Saturday I attended the second matchweek of the Premier League Championship Group: North District - Kitchee. Despite the Sheung Shui side being the nominal home team, the match was held at Tai Po Sports Ground rather than at North District Sports Ground. The game ended in eventful 2–2 draw.

Tai Po Sports Ground slightly differs from other district venues in having the second stand behind the goal. Spectators are not admitted to it regardless, so the difference is purely visual.

The stadium scoreboard had three clocks - two analogue and one seven-segment display. One of the analogue clocks and the seven-segment display showed the current civil time. The second analogue clock, judging by its 45-minute scale, was presumably designed to show match time, but wasn’t working, so the events of the game unfolded for me sin tiempo.

Kitchee have already clinched the title and fielded a rotated squad. North District played their first team and looked better for most of the match.

Early in the first half, Kitchee created their most dangerous chance of the game. Paez failed to intercept the pass, Revilla played the ball first-time into the box to Leandro, who couldn’t beat Dell Li.

North District then took control and fashioned several good opportunities. First, Granada dispossessed Dantas after Kitchee’s throw-in on their half, but couldn’t hit the target from the edge of the box. Then he missed from point-blank range after a neat one-two with Lo Kong-wai inside the penalty area.

And then Kitchee earned and converted two penalties. The first was awarded after a miniscule contact between Leandro and Han that required VAR’s involvement. The second resulted from a Paez’s reckless sliding tackle, who obliterated Juninho on the edge of the box.

The Sheung Shui side pulled one back shortly after the break, also from the spot. Kitchee’s goalkeeper failed to collect the ball after a powerful effort from Weverton and brought down Arboleda as he arrived for the rebound. Samuel Granada converted.

North District pressed, created chances, but couldn’t score. Twice the ball found the back of the net, but both times the officials flagged for offside.

They equalised all the same. Deep in injury time, Granada attempted a beach-football-style flick to set up David, a defender headed the ball away, but only as far as the edge of the box, where Hiu-chung Law hit it on the half-volley into the near corner.

The weather was good. I absorbed two beers and one non-alcoholic (it doesn’t count).