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April 16, 2014

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Guangzhou, Guizhou beaten in Asian ties

Source: AFP | April 16, 2014, Wednesday | Print Edition

MELBOURNE Victory stunned Guangzhou Evergrande 2-0 yesterday to halt the title-holder’s progress to the AFC Champions League knockout rounds and leave all four teams in their group level on points with one game left.

Marcello Lippi’s attractive side had swamped Victory 4-2 in their earlier meeting, but goals in the opening and closing minutes ensured a shock win in Melbourne and blew Group G wide open.

In Guiyang, Guizhou Province, Kengo Nakamura rifled home shortly before half-time to give Kawasaki Frontale a 1-0 win and end the hopes of Guizhou Renhe, which had Sun Jihai and Zvjezdan Misimovic sent off in a bad-tempered finish.

Elsewhere, Manabu Saito scored twice in two minutes as Yokohama F. Marinos upset former champion Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 to put all four contenders on seven points ahead of next week’s final group fixtures.

In Group H, Western Sydney Wanders beat Ulsan Hyundai 2-0 to give a massive boost to its hopes of reaching the knockout stages on its debut in the Asian club competition.

In a dramatic night of action, Australian international Mark Milligan scored in the second minute and James Troisi struck in stoppage time in Melbourne to pull off the biggest upset of the tournament so far.

It was Victory’s best win in four Champions League campaigns, and means it will reach the knockout rounds if it beats 2006 winner Jeonbuk Hyundai in South Korea next week.

Victory was ahead inside the opening 90 seconds, when Milligan won the ball in Guangzhou’s half and passed to Jesse Makarounas before continuing his run and finishing smartly.

The Australian side had several chances to extend its lead in the first half, but Guangzhou came alive after the break and goalkeeper Nathan Coe saved from both Muriqui and Feng Renliang in the game’s final quarter.

Another great save from Coe thwarted a swift Guangzhou counterattack before substitute Andrew Nabbout and Kosta Barbarouses combined to set up Troisi’s goal in the first minute of stoppage time.

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