Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Gosford: Jiang Ning opened the scoring in the first half before providing the second-half assist for Lu Lin as China’s Guangzhou R&F secured a place in Group F of the AFC Champions League after recording an impressive 3-1 win over Australia’s Central Coast Mariners in Tuesday’s play-off.
Midfielder Jiang opened the scoring after just eight minutes at Central Coast Stadium before helping round off an eye-catching move with the decisive pass for Lu to double Guangzhou’s lead three minutes before the hour mark.
And with Josh Rose netting a spectacular own goal from just inside his own half with just under two minutes remaining before substitute Glen Trifiro netted a stoppage time consolation for the home side, Guangzhou will make their AFC Champions League debut in Group F alongside 2008 champions Gamba Osaka from Japan, 2010 winners Seongnam FC and Thailand’s Buriram United.
With a place in the group stage at stake for one of the sides who finished third in their respective domestic league last season, Guangzhou took the lead after just eight minutes as a cross-field pass from captain Zhang Yaokun was left by Abderrazzaq Hamedallah and found Jiang on the far side of the penalty area and the midfielder evaded the attentions of Central Coast full-back Storm Roux before sending a rising strike into the top corner past goalkeeper Liam Reddy.
And it was the visitors who continued to dominate with Hamedallah, who scored 22 goals in 22 appearances for Guangzhou in the Chinese Super League last season, who looked the most likely to add to the score line as first only a last-ditch tackle by Central Coast captain Nick Montgomery denied the Morocco international before goalkeeper Reddy blocked at the feet of the striker.
Hamedallah’s threat was underlined by a superb solo run from inside the Guangzhou half which eventually led to the striker firing just across the face of goal with Reddy at full-stretch having held off numerous defenders on his way into the penalty area.
Central Coast, though, came out as a different team in the second half and had Guangzhou pinned back inside their own half for the majority of the first 15 minutes after the restart, although goalkeeper Liu Dianzuo remained largely untested despite several nervous moments following a string of free-kicks into the penalty area.
But three minutes before the hour mark Guangzhou doubled their lead in style as the impressive Hamedallah found the onrushing Jiang bursting into the area, and after the first-half goal scorer composed himself, the midfielder rolled the ball across the face of goal and Lu was on hand to fire into the empty net from eight yards with Reddy drawn out of position.
Jiang wasted a superb chance to add a third with 20 minute remaining following more good work from Guangzhou, in particularly Hamedallah, but with less than two minutes remaining Rose’s over hit back pass from just inside his own half wrong-footed Reddy to hand the visitors a third.
Trifiro was able to find a way past goalkeeper Liu with a stoppage time free-kick, but it was not enough to deny Guangzhou and the Chinese Super League side will travel to Japan to face J.League champions Gamba in Osaka next Tuesday.
Photo: WSG