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Lippi sweats over job after shock loss to Saudi team
Source: Xinhua |
September 21, 2012, Friday
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FOR the first time since he arrived in China in May, Guangzhou Evergrande coach Marcello Lippi is feeling the pressure.
The Italian coach's team suffered a shock 2-4 loss to Saudi Arabian side al-Ittihad in the first leg of the AFC Champions League quarterfinals in Jeddah on Wednesday.
Two headers from Naif Hazazi in the final 28 minutes gifted a thrilling comeback to the two-time AFC Champions League winner after Guangzhou had twice taken the lead through Gao Lin and Huang Bowen.
"We started with a lot of aggressive plays but Ittihad changed its formation which surprised me," Lippi said after the match.
Gao opened the scoring for Evergrande with a volley in the 27th minute, only to see Diego da Souza equalize a minute later.
Al-Ittihad leveled again as Mohammed Noor netted a penalty at the beginning of the second half after Huang had scored from a long-range shot before the break.
Missing two key defensive players Zhang Linpeng and Zhao Xuri due to suspension, Lippi, 64, had to choose from Feng Xiaoting and Tang Dechao, both recovering from long-term injuries. He opted for Feng, whose clumsy defending led to two goals.
But the bigger worry for the Italian maybe the injury to the team's top scorer Muriqui, ahead of a gruelling spell when Evergrande plays five games over 17 days. It is gunning for three titles - Chinese Super League, the CFA Cup and AFC Champions League.
"It is the toughest test ever for the World Cup champion coach since he came to China, if Lippi fails to win a title, the owner will not be so patient since he had surprisingly fired former coach Lee Jang-soo before hiring Lippi," said Bai Guohua, a senior Chinese football reporter.
The Italian coach's team suffered a shock 2-4 loss to Saudi Arabian side al-Ittihad in the first leg of the AFC Champions League quarterfinals in Jeddah on Wednesday.
Two headers from Naif Hazazi in the final 28 minutes gifted a thrilling comeback to the two-time AFC Champions League winner after Guangzhou had twice taken the lead through Gao Lin and Huang Bowen.
"We started with a lot of aggressive plays but Ittihad changed its formation which surprised me," Lippi said after the match.
Gao opened the scoring for Evergrande with a volley in the 27th minute, only to see Diego da Souza equalize a minute later.
Al-Ittihad leveled again as Mohammed Noor netted a penalty at the beginning of the second half after Huang had scored from a long-range shot before the break.
Missing two key defensive players Zhang Linpeng and Zhao Xuri due to suspension, Lippi, 64, had to choose from Feng Xiaoting and Tang Dechao, both recovering from long-term injuries. He opted for Feng, whose clumsy defending led to two goals.
But the bigger worry for the Italian maybe the injury to the team's top scorer Muriqui, ahead of a gruelling spell when Evergrande plays five games over 17 days. It is gunning for three titles - Chinese Super League, the CFA Cup and AFC Champions League.
"It is the toughest test ever for the World Cup champion coach since he came to China, if Lippi fails to win a title, the owner will not be so patient since he had surprisingly fired former coach Lee Jang-soo before hiring Lippi," said Bai Guohua, a senior Chinese football reporter.
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