Technical director Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic displays a souvenir he picked up in Hong Kong. - Hong Kong FA web site photo

SO KON PO, Hong Kong (CMC):

The Jamaican camp is buoyed by their fighting win over the Hong Kong League XI in their opening match of the four-team 2007 Lunar New Year Cup tournament on Sunday evening at the Hong Kong National Stadium.

The Jamaican unit, made up primarily of Under-23 players preparing for Olympic qualifying competition, squeezed a 5-3 penalty shoot-out win over the star-studded local side after the game had finished 1-1 in normal time.

Jamaica will play for the Lunar Cup tomorrow against China, who won the evening's other match 2-0 over Australia.

Technical director Bora Milutinovic, on debut as the new man in charge of Jamaica's football, praised the players" effort.

Having completed a mere nine sessions with the squad in a few weeks, Milutinovic admitted that the players delivered more than he had bargained for.

"They performed much better than I thought they would and got a good result," he said.

Jamaica's new football boss

Milutinovic, who signed up late last year as Jamaica's new football boss, has the world-record distinction of taking five national teams to the World Cup Finals - the U.S.A., China, Nigeria, Costa Rica and Mexico.

The Reggae Boyz were flawless in their penalties as Nikolay Finlayson, Adrian Reid, Jermaine Taylor, Demar Phillips and Lovel Palmer all struck excellent kicks from the spot under intense pressure in unfamiliar territory to secure the win.

"The way they handled the penalties was quite professional," head coach Wendell Downswell told CMC Sport.

"We are looking forward to capping things off by winning the championship," Downswell added.

Fabian Taylor's first half goal - three minutes before the break - placed Jamaica in front for a huge chunk of the match, but ace St. Kitts and Nevis international striker Keith Gumbs grabbed a late (79th minute) equalizer for the local League XI that sent the game into penalty kicks.

The Lunar New Year Cup, being televised throughout the Caribbean by CMC, celebrates the first day of the Chinese New Year and is one of the most prestigious events on the Hong Kong sporting calendar.