Muto has Evergrande on brink of shock exit
Print Edition
YUKI Muto’s second-half winner left title-holder Guangzhou Evergrande teetering on the brink of a shock AFC Champions League exit as the Chinese champion went down 0-1 to Urawa Red Diamonds in Saitama yesterday.
Muto’s header seven minutes after half-time consigned Luiz Felipe Scolari’s super-rich Chinese Super League champion to its second defeat in four games and left it rooted to the bottom of Group H.
With two games to go, winless Evergrande has just two points so far, five points off second place and a spot in the last 16, with its title defense seemingly at an end. Guangzhou needs to win its last two games to have any chance of progressing in the continental championship.
Evergrande, part-owned by Internet giant Alibaba, is the poster-child for President Xi Jinping’s push to turn China into a football power, which has translated into heavy investment in players by Chinese clubs.
But the five-time defending CSL champion looked anything but a winner in a cauldron atmosphere as it faced Japan’s Urawa and its massed ranks of fans.
If not for some agile goalkeeping by Zeng Cheng, the scoreline could have been worse for a team featuring ex-Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Paulinho and former Atletico Madrid striker Jackson Martinez, the team’s record signing.
Muto put Evergrande on the ropes on 52 minutes when he instinctively got his head to Tomoya Ugajin’s first-time ball across the box, following a cross from Takahiro Sekine.
Zeng saved brilliantly from Sekine at close range but Tadanari Lee was left thumping the turf in exasperation when he passed up an open goal and instead tamely poked his shot at the goalkeeper.
Zeng also saved from Shinzo Koroki one-on-one to keep Evergrande in it but the visitors’ costly strikeforce was finding little joy at the other end of the pitch.
Urawa’s victory lifted the Red Diamonds to second in Group H behind Sydney FC, which moved to the verge of the knockout stages with a 1-0 home win over South Korea’s Pohang Steelers.
Milos Ninkovic grabbed the winner for Sydney, which now has nine points, in the 51st and at the second attempt after two Pohang players failed to clear the ball.
In Group F, 2013 finalist FC Seoul was held to a 0-0 draw at home by Shandong Luneng, moving to 10 points and remaining three clear of the Chinese club.
Seoul defender Osmar Barba hit the post with a volley after 16 minutes and Shandong missed a chance when Gil headed pasted the post. Seoul squandered late chances when Ju Se-jong’s shot from the edge of the area flew over the Shandong crossbar and Yun Ju-tae’s shot was deflected just wide.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima remained in contention with a 2-0 win at Buriram United, moving to six points as it extended the Thai club’s run to four straight losses.
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