Blackburn 3 Kitchee 0

30 July 2011 12:20
Goals from Mauro Formica, David Dunn and Nick Blackman ensured Blackburn ended their trip to the Far East with a comfortable win.[LNB]Rovers were not slick but victory against Kitchee means they finish third in the Barclays Asia Trophy having lost a semi-final to Aston Villa.[LNB] Clinical: Mauro Formica celebrates his goal with Brett Emerton[LNB]Match facts BLACKBURN: Bunn; Salgado (Aley 85), Hanley, Givet, Olsson; N'zonzi (Grella 62), Dunn (Anderson 82); Emerton (Rochina 46), Formica (Henley 82), Pedersen; Roberts (Blackman 46)[LNB]KITCHEE: Zhenpeng (Li 85); To (Liu 62), Comi, Santana, D.Rodriguez; Wen (Evens 54); Kei (Yee 62), Yang (Hau 82), Guerrero, Zicheng (Fai 46); R.Rodriguez (Tarres 68)[LNB]Steve Kean will hope Wednesday's positive performance in a 1-0 defeat against Villa proves to be a more accurate indicator for the campaign ahead.[LNB]Kean rested goalkeeper Paul Robinson and four carrying injuries - Chris Samba (groin), Ryan Nelsen (knee), Keith Andrews (groin) and Junior Hoilett (hamstring). Nelsen and Hoilett trained in the stadium before the game.[LNB]There was an opportunity for Grant Hanley at centre-half but the game began badly for him, misjudging a high ball and gifting Roberto Rodriguez a wonderful chance.[LNB]Mark Bunn did well to keep it out and the Blackburn 'keeper found himself in the busier penalty box during the opening half hour. He saved again from Liang Zicheng as a capacity crowd in the Hong Kong Stadium got behind their league champions.[LNB]Rovers, so swift and aggressive in defeat against Villa three days earlier, were careless and terribly sluggish. They escaped again when Kitchee captain Ubay Santana fired a penalty over after a clumsy foul by Martin Olsson on Tsang Kam To.[LNB] Eye on the ball: Morten Gamst Pedersen battles with Dani Guerrer[LNB]The pitch may have been poor and the weather hot and sticky but Kean cannot have been impressed as his players struggled to get the ball against a team destroyed 4-0 by Chelsea.[LNB]Formica, so sharp and effective against Villa, was barely in the game before striking for the opening goal with a diving header from a Brett Emerton cross. The 23-year-old Argentine was a ?3.5million signing from Newell's Old Boys in January but did not appear last season.[LNB]Blackburn improved slightly after the goal, though they always looked vulnerable at the back and, in the end, won comfortably.[LNB]Goalkeeper Wang Zhenpeng dived to deny Olsson, then kept out a header from Pedersen before Dunn beat him with a curling free-kick from just outside the box.[LNB]Blackman made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after being fouled. Late substitutes included a brief appearance at left-back by Myles Anderson, son of Kean's agent Jerome Anderson, who's company SEM were behind the Venky's takeover.[LNB] Rovers Return pays off! ?2.8m Goodwillie Blackburn-bound as United cash inBlackburn make first move in transfer market as Petrovic closes in on moveAll the latest Blackburn news, features and opinion [LNB]

Source: Daily_Mail