Guangzhou edges past Gamba
Print Edition
GUANGZHOU Evergrande fought back from a goal down to beat Japan’s Gamba Osaka 2-1 in the first leg of its AFC Champions League semifinal yesterday.
The Japanese treble winners took the lead after 12 minutes when Feng Xiaoting diverted in a cross from the right by Hiroyuki Abe while under pressure from Brazilian striker Patric.
It could have been 2-0 but Shu Kurata was only able to find the side netting with his effort at the Tianhe Stadium. They were made to pay for the profligacy when Guangzhou, four-time Chinese champion, equalized in the 35th minute with another stunning effort by international midfielder Huang Bowen.
The 28-year-old, who scored a brilliant goal in the quarter-final to help dispatch Gamba’s J-League rival Kashiwa Reysol, swivelled to hammer home a left-foot half-volley after an exquisite lobbed pass by Elkeson sent him clear.
The big-spending Chinese club, coached by Brazilian World Cup-winning manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, took control of the tie and ploughed forward for a second goal as Gamba, 2008 AFC champion, sat back.
Brazilian midfielder Paulinho came close to putting the Chinese in front but his effort was palmed away by Masaaki Higashiguchi as the sides went in level at the break.
Elkeson, though, again proved his worth as the Brazilian forward’s left-foot cross from the left in the 57th minute hung perfectly for Guangzhou skipper Zheng Zhi to head the winner past Higashiguchi. A third goal, which would have brought a healthy advantage ahead of the second leg in Japan on October 21, proved beyond them.
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