Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Guangzhou: Gao Lin struck twice in four first-half minutes as Guangzhou Evergrande notched up a 3-1 win over former champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to move to the top of Group G of the 2014 AFC Champions League on Tuesday.
China international striker Gao opened the scoring in the 17th minute before adding a second four minutes later only for Lee Dong-gook to pull one back for the 2006 winners six minutes before the end of the first half.
But Liao Lisheng’s header from a cross by Alessandro Diamanti sealed all three points for Marcello Lippi’s reigning champions, who moved on to seven points from their opening three games.
Lippi was forced into a late change to his starting line-up as last season’s top goal scorer and AFC Champions League Most Valuable Player, Brazilian forward Muriqui (Luiz Guilherme da Conceição Silva), was injured in the warm-up and he was replaced by Gao.
The 28-year-old made the most of his unexpected call-up, tormenting the defence of the K-League Classic side and in the 17th minute he gave Guangzhou the lead with a close-range finish after fine work down the right by Liao Lisheng.
Just four minutes later, Gao was on target again as Zhang Linpeng stormed down the right, beating Park Won-jae for pace before clipping in a lofted cross that Gao headed back across goal and over the line, beyond a wrong-footed Choi Eun-sung.
Guangzhou were comfortably in the ascendancy but gradually Jeonbuk pulled themselves back into the game and, with six minutes remaining in the half, Lee Dong-gook used all his experience and talent to halve the deficit.
The former Pohang Steelers and Seongnam Ilhwa striker sent his header beyond Zeng Cheng, only for it to come back off the post. But Lee was alert enough to react first to the rebound, pushing the ball over the line from a tight angle.
Jeonbuk thought they had levelled the scores when, in the 58th minute, Jung In-hwan had the ball in the Guangzhou goal only for referee Abdullah Al Hilali to rule the effort out and, just three minutes later, the home side all but killed off the game.
Diamanti, who was again in imperious form in the Guangzhou midfield, teased the Jeonbuk defence before crossing to the near post, for Liao to glance his header across Choi and into the bottom corner.
Guangzhou could have added to their tally when Diamanti narrowly missed with his effort in the final minutes while Elkeson (Elkeson de Oliveira Cardoso) was twice denied by Choi as the champions underlined their status as one of the teams to beat in the 2014 AFC Champions League.