Zeggen's extra-time strike earns AZ Alkmaar HKFC Standard Chartered Soccer Sevens title win
AZ Alkmaar won the 2025 HKFC Standard Chartered Soccer Sevens title on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over champions Brighton and Hove Albion at Sports Road as Kitchee SC claimed the Women's Tournament and Ampcontrol Discovery Bay clinched the Masters Tournament.
Alkmaar goalkeeper Kiyani Zeggen netted two minutes into sudden death extra-time with a stunning strike from distance to earn the debutants from the Netherlands the title in a dramatic finale to the Main Tournament. "A great feeling," Zeggen said of scoring the winning goal.
"It was an exciting game, very close, and when I shot the ball and it went in, just the emotions were happy. "When we came here at first we needed to practice our formations and the weather was also something (difficult). I think we did great, we improved a lot in the tournament. "This is my specialty, playing with the ball and being an extra player for the team so it was a great opportunity."
Brighton had seen off fellow Premier League clubs Aston Villa and West Ham United to reach a second consecutive final while newcomers Alkmaar dispatched Larne FC and Yokohama F. Marinos in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
Jamie Mullins went closest to giving Brighton the lead when his shot on the turn flew over the target with two minutes left in the first half while Alkmaar's Julien Oerip was denied a spectacular winner in the dying seconds as Steven Hall tipped his free kick to safety. The game moved into four-on-four sudden death extra-time and Zeggen, who had started the tournament as Alkmaar's back-up goalkeeper, stepped up to hit the winner into the bottom corner of Hall's goal from the edge of the area.
Meanwhile, last year's runners-up Kitchee SC went one better in the Women's Tournament by securing a 1-0 win over Wrexham AFC Women in the final, claiming the trophy at the end of the first event to feature overseas-based clubs.
The teams had played out a 0-0 draw when they met in the group phase, but Wai Ki Cheung's unstoppable right-foot strike from 20 yards out flew into the top corner with a little over five minutes remaining to give the Hong Kong club victory. "I hadn't taken a lot of touches but I managed to score a great goal, it was like a miracle," said Wai. "I just gave 100 percent as planned and we managed to win. "Losing in last year's final helped to motivate us but we just tried to treat this as any other game."
Ampcontrol Discovery Bay secured the Masters Tournament for the first time since 2018, and for only the second time in total, with a 3-0 victory over Wallsend Boys Club HK. Ju Yingzhe gave Discovery Bay the lead in the first half before Chris Annan rolled in the second from close range four minutes into the second half and Caleb Ekwego sealed the win for the Tim Bredbury-coached outfit with less than a minute remaining.
Alkmaar's Sem Van Duijn was named the men's Player of the Tournament and Aston Villa's Charlie Pavey finished as the leading scorer in the Main Tournament after scoring seven times throughout the weekend. Wrexham AFC goalkeeper Chloe Ankers scooped the best player award in the Women's Tournament and Ampcontrol Discovery Bay's Ju Yingzhe won in the Master's Tournament.
Hong Kong Soccer
Soccerphile.com