SIPG into last 16 as Evergrande stays alive
Print Edition
AN eventually emphatic 3-1 victory over Melbourne Victory at Shanghai Stadium last night ensured that Shanghai SIPG advanced to the round of 16 of the 2016 AFC Champions League as Group G leader with a match to spare.
SIPG led the group on 9 points going into the match, with its only loss in four previous AFC appearances being a 1-2 reverse in Melbourne. Last year’s Chinese Super League runner-up needed only a draw to advance but that was not how Sven-Goran Eriksson’s men went about their business last night.
“It’s a fantastic result to advance with one match left, though I think we could have scored more goals,” Eriksson said. “After the five AFC matches, I can say we qualified in style. We have a chance to go all the way Ñ who knows?”
The Swede also praised Melbourne. “After conceding the goals, they kept running and running; that’s a mentality to admire.”
Both teams created several good chances in the first half, with the visitors taking three shots within five minutes after the 18th minute, all missing the target.
SIPG’s first goal came in the 38th when Dario Conca’s freekick found Wu Lei in the box, and the latter fed Yu Hai to head in the opener. A minute later, Wu provided another assist, feeding Elkeson a comfortable pass from the half line. The former Guangzhou Evergrande striker tapped the ball into the net for his record 19th AFC Champions League goal (4th for SIPG). The hosts almost claimed another goal before half-time when Wu missed a one-on-one chance against Melbourne goalie Lawrence Thomas.
SIPG extended its lead in the 18th minute of the second half when it was awarded a penalty. Defender Scott Galloway handled the ball inside the box and Conca deceived Thomas for SIPG’s third goal. Midfielder Jesse Makarounas got one back for the visitors in the 80th, one minute after SIPG’s Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan came in as a substitute for Brazilian Elkeson.
Erikson said he wasn’t thinking about the knockout stage matches yet, as the team has to negotiate two CSL league games before. “We might meet any team from China, Japan or Korea next. Whoever we will play, we will be happy about it.”
A capacity crowd of 32,355 showed up at Shanghai Stadium last night.
“Although the score suggested that SIPG had a good game, we were not outplayed,” Melbourne coach Kevin Muscat insisted. “We had our chances when the score was level 0-0. We gave them a gift for a goal, and after the third goal, it was a mountain to climb.”
Earlier, in a Group H match, defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande beat South Korean side Pohang Steelers 2-0 to notch its first victory of the ACL campaign and keep alive its slim hopes of advancing from the group stage.
Brazilian Ricardo Goulart and Chinese international Gao Lin scored for the defending CSL champion.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s team has only managed five points from five matches to sit third in the group, and will be eliminated if Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds wins or draws with Sydney FC today.
CSL table-topper Jiangsu Suning, meanwhile, takes on Vietnam’s Becamex Binh Duong in a Group E match today, while Shandong Luneng hosts Sanfrecce Hiroshima of Japan in Group F.
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