The visitors stunned the home crowd by opening the scoring after just three minutes. Son Phyong-il made a surging run down the left and his cross was perfect for Kim Yu-song to attack and head home.
It was almost 2-0 four minutes later but Rim Chol-min couldn’t find the target with a header from Ri Hyong-jin’s cross.
Against the run of play, Tai Po almost levelled when Joao Emir’s thunderous 25-yard shot came back off the bar.
The away side soon regained control and increased their lead two minutes from half-time. Kwon Chung-hyok crossed from the right and Son Phyong-il stole in at the back post to head past Tsang Man Fai.
Igor Sartori tried to get the hosts going early in the second half when he fed the ball out to Lee Ka Ho on the right. The full-back swung over a cross but Sartori’s looping header was too high to threaten An Tae-song’s goal.
In the 54th minute, Tai Po’s pressure paid off as Lee Ka Yiu’s cross from the right was headed in off the post by Harrison Sawyer.
But 4.25 SC were soon back on top and Kim Yu-song’s cushioned pass created an excellent chance for Rim Chol-min, whose shot lacked the power to beat Tsang Man Fai.
Minutes later, Kim Yu-song missed an even better opportunity when he headed over from close range.
Rim Chol-min’s low curling shot from 22 yards had Tsang Man Fai scrambling to turn the ball wide as the visitors stayed on the front foot with just over 20 minutes remaining.
There was no real surprise when 4.25 SC made it 3-1 in the 72nd minute. Just like the opening goal, Son Phyong-il crossed from the left and Kim Yu-song headed into an empty net, with Tsang Man Fai stranded.
With just over 10 minutes remaining, Pak Myong-song’s perfectly weighted pass put Kim Yu-song through on goal but the striker’s tame finish was easily saved. By that stage, 4.25 SC’s dominance had killed of any hope of a comeback from the hosts.
Tai Po now travel to DPR Korea hoping for a better outcome in the clubs’ second meeting on May 15.
