Guangdong secured the 44th Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup on Saturday after defeating Hong Kong in a penalty shootout, following a 4-4 aggregate draw across the two legs of the tournament.
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The second leg, played at the newly built Greater Bay Area Cultural and Sports Center Stadium in Guangzhou, ended 2-2. With the scores level over both matches, the championship was decided on penalties, with Guangdong emerging victorious to claim its third consecutive title.
Context and tournament background
The Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup was jointly established in 1978 by football associations from Guangdong and Hong Kong, making it one of modern China’s first regular football competitions between Hong Kong and a mainland squad.
Since its first edition in 1979, the tournament has been held 44 times, with Guangdong winning 27 titles and Hong Kong claiming 17 titles.
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Each side sends a representative team to compete in home-and-away matches staged in both Guangdong and Hong Kong, with the aggregate winner lifting the trophy.
This year’s competition followed the conclusion of the 15th National Games, co-hosted for the first time by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and carries a renewed role in promoting sports and cultural integration across the Greater Bay Area.
