Some 49,704 fans watch AC Milan beat Liverpool 4-2 on day when city’s leader hails 12 per cent increase in tourism numbers
Nearly 50,000 fans packed into Kai Tak Stadium on Saturday for the first game of the inaugural Hong Kong Football Festival, providing a raucous atmosphere and highlighting what the city’s leader had earlier called an energised tourism industry.
And after days of community events, fan visits and anticipation, the real business got under way, with Liverpool and AC Milan serving up the sort of pre-season clash Hong Kong has been starved of in recent years.
A Noah Okafor double, plus goals from Rafael Leao and Ruben Loftus-Cheek earned Milan a 4-2 win in the Standard Chartered Trophy in front of a record 49,704 crowd. For Liverpool, Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo briefly gave their supporters something to cheer about.
Either side of 90 minutes of action on the pitch, there was the traditional dragon dance before kick-off and fireworks after to celebrate the Italian side’s triumph.
