Guangzhou on verge of last-16 spot
Source: AFP |
April 10, 2013, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MARCELLO Lippi's Guangzhou Evergrande knocked Thai struggler Muangthong United out of the AFC Champions League and moved to within a whisker of the last 16 with a 4-1 rout yesterday.
A quickfire double from Brazilian forward Muriqui sent Guangzhou on its way at Muangthong's Thunderdome Stadium as the Chinese champion stretched its Group F lead to four points with two games to go.
Unbeaten Guangzhou, seeking to become the 10-year-old tournament's first Chinese winner, would have qualified for the knockout phase if Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors had beaten Urawa Red Diamonds. However, the game finished 2-2.
Japan's Kashiwa Reysol also stood poised for next month's home-and-away round of 16, despite dropping its first points of Group H in a 0-0 draw with Suwon Bluewings.
And in the same group, Chinese team Guizhou Renhe kept its hopes alive when it hit two late goals to beat Australia's Central Coast Mariners 2-1 and climb from bottom to third.
Guangzhou was never likely to be troubled by Muangthong, its 4-0 victim at home last week, and it was no surprise when Muriqui, fed diagonally by captain Zheng Zhi, stabbed the opener with the outside of his boot on 40 minutes.
Three minutes later the Brazilian doubled the advantage with a carbon-copy goal, only this time with the assist from Dario Conca and the ball curling into the same corner with the inside of his right boot.
Botched clearance
Guangzhou was briefly troubled after half-time when a botched clearance rebounded into the path of Muangthong's Sarawut Masuk, who steered home a leaping header to pull one back. But Zheng restored the two-goal cushion shortly afterwards, before defender Feng Xiaoting added gloss to the victory when a free-kick into the box was parried to his feet with four minutes to go.
Bottom team Muangthong now has no prospect of reaching the last 16, as one of the top two in the four-team group, while Guangzhou will expect to rubber-stamp its qualification in two weeks against Japan's Urawa.
Urawa, bidding to avenge last week's 1-3 reverse to fellow former champion Jeonbuk, got off to a dream start in Jeonju when Daisuke Nasu and Tsukasa Umesaki put it two goals up after just seven minutes.
Jeonbuk gathered its composure but had a big slice of luck to thank for its first goal, six minutes after the break, when Brazilian midfielder Eninho saw his speculative cross sail over the keeper and into the goal.
And in the dying seconds, striker Lee Dong-gook laid off a knock-down in the box for Seo Sang-min, who side-footed the equalizer which kept the South Koreans second in Group F behind Guangzhou.
In Guiyang, Mitchell Duke's penalty put the Mariners in front just before half-time. But goals by Zlatan Muslimovic and Qu Bo in the 84th and 86th grabbed three points for Guizhou.
A quickfire double from Brazilian forward Muriqui sent Guangzhou on its way at Muangthong's Thunderdome Stadium as the Chinese champion stretched its Group F lead to four points with two games to go.
Unbeaten Guangzhou, seeking to become the 10-year-old tournament's first Chinese winner, would have qualified for the knockout phase if Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors had beaten Urawa Red Diamonds. However, the game finished 2-2.
Japan's Kashiwa Reysol also stood poised for next month's home-and-away round of 16, despite dropping its first points of Group H in a 0-0 draw with Suwon Bluewings.
And in the same group, Chinese team Guizhou Renhe kept its hopes alive when it hit two late goals to beat Australia's Central Coast Mariners 2-1 and climb from bottom to third.
Guangzhou was never likely to be troubled by Muangthong, its 4-0 victim at home last week, and it was no surprise when Muriqui, fed diagonally by captain Zheng Zhi, stabbed the opener with the outside of his boot on 40 minutes.
Three minutes later the Brazilian doubled the advantage with a carbon-copy goal, only this time with the assist from Dario Conca and the ball curling into the same corner with the inside of his right boot.
Botched clearance
Guangzhou was briefly troubled after half-time when a botched clearance rebounded into the path of Muangthong's Sarawut Masuk, who steered home a leaping header to pull one back. But Zheng restored the two-goal cushion shortly afterwards, before defender Feng Xiaoting added gloss to the victory when a free-kick into the box was parried to his feet with four minutes to go.
Bottom team Muangthong now has no prospect of reaching the last 16, as one of the top two in the four-team group, while Guangzhou will expect to rubber-stamp its qualification in two weeks against Japan's Urawa.
Urawa, bidding to avenge last week's 1-3 reverse to fellow former champion Jeonbuk, got off to a dream start in Jeonju when Daisuke Nasu and Tsukasa Umesaki put it two goals up after just seven minutes.
Jeonbuk gathered its composure but had a big slice of luck to thank for its first goal, six minutes after the break, when Brazilian midfielder Eninho saw his speculative cross sail over the keeper and into the goal.
And in the dying seconds, striker Lee Dong-gook laid off a knock-down in the box for Seo Sang-min, who side-footed the equalizer which kept the South Koreans second in Group F behind Guangzhou.
In Guiyang, Mitchell Duke's penalty put the Mariners in front just before half-time. But goals by Zlatan Muslimovic and Qu Bo in the 84th and 86th grabbed three points for Guizhou.
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