Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Guangzhou: Newly crowned AFC Champions League 2013 champions Guangzhou Evergrande went a step closer in their treble hunt after booking a place in the final of the Chinese FA Cup following their 6-3 second leg victory over Beijing Guoan on Wednesday.
Guangzhou will take on Guizhou Renhe in the final to take place next month after toppling Guoan 7-3 in aggregate with the defending champions winning the first leg away at Beijing 1-0.
Starting the match within hours of returning from Kuala Lumpur after winning the AFC Player of the Year 2013, captain Zheng Zhi assisted Elkeson (de Oliveira Cardoso) for the first goal in the 33rd minute.
Ten minutes later Dario Conca scored the team’s second and when Zhang Linpeng scored Guangzhou’s third, it looked like done and dusted but Beijing hit back with three quick goals from hattrick hero Peter Utaka.
Former Beijing player Huang Bowen scored Guangzhou’s fourth and current Asian Foreign Player of the Year Muriqui (Luiz Guilherme Da Conceicao Silva) and second of the evening from Conca sealed the match in favour of Guangzhou, who are also preparing for the FIFA Club World Cup 2013.
Guangzhou will face CAF Champions Al Ahly in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup on 14 December at the Agadir Stadium in Morocco.