On the 13th, the Hong Kong Lunar New Year Cup football match was staged again after four years, and the World Stars team defeated the Hong Kong Stars team 7:3, and more than 20,000 spectators walked into the Hong Kong Stadium to celebrate the Spring Festival with the stars.
World Star player Totti (left) shoots during a match on Feb. 13. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Binghui
The World Stars team invited to this tournament is composed of 17 retired famous players, including Totti, Piero, Materazzi, Rivaldo and other members of the World Cup champions. Because it was an exhibition match, the offensive and defensive rhythm of the two sides was relatively slow, but the wonderful scenes continued. Just nine minutes into the game, the World Stars took the lead with Piero assisting Rivaldo. After that, the World Stars team firmly took the initiative, and Totti, Mendieta, and Rivaldo scored one after another to set the half-time score at 4:0.
World Star player Rivaldo (right) shoots during a match on Feb. 13. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Binghui
There was no limit to the number of substitutions in this game, and the players of the World Stars team all appeared in the second half, Totti's clever back-heel pass, Rivaldo's ghostly feints, and Villa's sharp dribble breakthrough attracted the crowd to applaud again and again. Throughout the second half, the two teams scored like a plum blossom, with Christian netting a goal just before the end to close the game for Hong Kong Stars.
After the award ceremony, the stars also walked to the sidelines to interact with the fans, which once again sparked cheers from the audience.