Lippi’s Guangzhou ends China AFC drought
Print Edition
Guangzhou Evergrande became the first Chinese winner of the AFC Champions League when it drew 1-1 with FC Seoul in the second leg yesterday to prevail on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate tie.
Brazilian forward Elkeson opened the scoring for the Chinese champion in the 58th minute to send the majority of the red-clad 58,000 capacity crowd at Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou into raptures.
But FC Seoul was back level four minutes later with its first chance, Dejan Damjanovic firing home to make it a nervy finale but Guangzhou survived to deservedly take the title.
Guangzhou’s victory means it will be Asia’s representative at the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco next month and it also made Italian World Cup winner Marcello Lippi the first coach to win both the European and Asian Champions League titles. He won the European title with Juventus
“Winning this cup is very important for Chinese football,” Lippi said. “We have grown a lot and wanted to compete at an international level. It’s not an easy thing for a team to play the same way at home and away but this is something we were able to do and this was a big advantage in winning it.”
His expensively assembled Chinese side was heavily favored to win the final after claiming a 2-2 draw in the opening leg in Seoul last month and its milestone success will be celebrated throughout the country despite its failure to hit the heights set in previous rounds.
Lippi sprung a surprise with his lineup by selecting midfielder Zhao Xuri ahead of forward Gao Lin but his side could have done with the extra attacker as it dominated the opening half against a negative Seoul.
Argentine playmaker Dario Conca peppered the post with two early efforts and Elkeson also went close as the South Korean champion was fortunate to make halftime at 0-0.
The contest burst into life near the hour mark when Elkeson opened the scoring with some samba flair, producing an exquisite first touch to take a pass which fell behind him into his stride and calmly slotted home.
Damjanovic quickly levelled with a sharp strike as Guangzhou failed to clear but the Koreans failed to test Zeng Cheng in the home goal again to leave China celebrating a first Asian club success since Liaoning won the Asian Club Championship in 1990.
The Chinese Football Association wasted little time in expressing its congratulations on the achievement many hope will spark a resurgence in the game after years of corruption had blighted its growth.
“This is the highest honor for Chinese football,” it said in a congratulatory message. “We sincerely hope you keep working hard, but guard against pride and impatience.”
Evergrande, which has already won its third straight Chinese league title, will now go for an unprecedented treble when it faces Beijing Guo’an in the Chinese FA Cup semifinals later this month.
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