The story appears on

Page A16

August 24, 2015

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

HomeSportsSoccer

SIPG tops Shenhua to reclaim top spot

Shanghai SIPG beat city rival Greenland Shenhua 2-1 in a Chinese Super League derby at Hongkou Football Stadium last night.

The victory helped SIPG to regain top spot in the CSL standings from defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande. Evergrande had temporarily gone top with its 4-2 victory over the third top-tier local team, Shanghai Shenxin, on Friday. SIPG now has 52 points, one more than Evergrande. Shandong Luneng is third on 46, followed by Beijing Guo鈥檃n (44).

It was a second clash between the two teams within a week after Greenland Shenhua eliminated SIPG on penalties in the CFA Cup quarterfinals last Wednesday.

Shenhua won a penalty in the 17th minute when SIPG defender Cai Huikang blocked a Cao Yunding shot with his hand in the box. Tim Cahill was on target from the spot.

SIPG鈥檚 equalizer came in the 64th. Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan received a pass from teammate Dario Conca in the box, and sent the ball through Shenhua鈥檚 two-man defense and goalie Geng Xiaofeng into the net.

Seven minutes later, SIPG took the lead when Conca鈥檚 freekick deflected off Mohamed Sissoko鈥檚 arm into goal. The visitors could have added more in the closing minutes but for Geng鈥檚 heroics.

Shenhua鈥檚 Senegal striker Demba Ba was suspended for the match due to a foul he committed in an earlier league clash against Evergrande.

SIPG head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was happy with his team鈥檚 鈥減rofessional鈥 performance in the second half. With six rounds left, the Swede did not hide the team鈥檚 lofty ambitions.

鈥淓ighteen points, that鈥檚 a lot. If the team can keep playing the way they did in the second half of today鈥檚 game, we can do it. We鈥檙e going to do everything to try to win every game. The spirit in our team is fantastic. We are going to try (for the championship), but it will be difficult.鈥

Eriksson鈥檚 counterpart Francis Gillot said Ba鈥檚 absence had weakened his team. 鈥淎 game like this can be decided or changed by key players. (SIPG鈥檚) Gyan and Conca are certainly those kinds of players,鈥 the Frenchman said.


 

Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

娌叕缃戝畨澶 31010602000204鍙

Email this to your friend