Lippi criticises lacklustre performance

Guangzhou still advanced to the quarterfinals thanks to their impressive 5-1 win in the first leg in Osaka last week, but Liao Lisheng’s 49th minute own goal salvaged some pride for the J.League side and left Lippi lamenting his side’s disappointing display.

“We didn't do well today,” said the Italian World Cup winner. “Our goalkeeper, defenders and midfielders made lots of mistakes which led to a sense of insecurity for the entire team.

“Today’s opponents didn't send their best team, so mentally our team was too relaxed. This game will be worth reviewing, and it also proved that Guangzhou Evergrande is not a great team because a great team wouldn’t show such a loose attitude in an important match like this.”

The defeat was Guangzhou’s second in five days after the reigning Chinese champions lost to local rivals Guangzhou R&F in domestic competition last Friday, and the back-to-back losses have left Lippi looking for answers.

“Two losses in a row tells us that we need to work harder, especially in our mentality; we have lots to do,” he said.

“Sometimes our players seem lost, even though we are at the top in the domestic league and have also qualified in the AFC Champions League. But we need more and to improve continuously, and that is how we can become a great team.

“However, the most important thing is that we qualified. Not all the Chinese teams were able to reach the last eight of the AFC Champions League. We have three games to play before the next round and in the second half of the year we have to sprint in every competition.”

The 5-2 aggregate win means Guangzhou advance to the quarterfinals for the third year in a row, having lost out at the last eight stage in 2012 to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad before defeating Lekwiya from Qatar on the way to winning the title last year.