Manchester United have edge over Liverpool in Hong Kong Masters exhibition match – but Luis Figo stands supreme
- Michael Owen’s All-Stars beaten by Ryan Giggs-led Scholes Legends as veterans roll back the years
- Modest yet appreciative crowd grab pictures and autographs after Figo scores twice in a sedate contest on a mature garden of a pitch
Hong Kong’s back – in the 1990s, or perhaps earlier, after Saturday’s World Football Masters Cup swept a galaxy of used-to-bes in and out of town, with the Owen All-Stars outshone by the Scholes Legends while they were here.
There was time for slow-mo magic from Luis Figo and snapshots of a longed-for past in a 5-2 win for Scholes’ side, even if the players came with luggage, performed on a meadow at Hong Kong Stadium and left without a word.
Only about 7,000 parted with HK$280 to HK$980, but the atmosphere beat that for recent visits by present-day teams. It prompted the thought: was football, certainly in Hong Kong, better in the old days?
The latter added Figo and assorted Premier League throwbacks, while both line-ups featured grand old men of the local scene. There was Lau Wing-yip, 70, Leung Nang-yan, still 69, and Ku Kam-fai, a whippersnapper at 62. A sedate pace was guaranteed.