Kitchee edged out Eastern 1-0 in a hard-fought season opener of the 2025-26 Hong Kong Premier League in front of 2,700 fans at Mong Kok Stadium.

It was a tough win for Kitchee under new head coach Iñigo Calderón, even with Eastern missing their star forward Noah Baffoe, who transferred to Lee Man.

The last season’s fourth-place finisher broke the deadlock in the 34th minute with a close-range header from Cheng Chin-lung.

Eastern fought back in the second half, nearly equalising in the 59th minute when Leung Chun-pong’s thumping volley came off the woodwork.

Kitchee’s goalkeeper Wang Zhenpeng secured the victory with two crucial saves in the 90th minute, stopping Eastern’s late push and keeping the clean sheet until the final whistle.