Evergrande on track after Shenhua win
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, September 14, 2013
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Elkeson celebrated after hitting the winner for Evergrande. |
Ten-man Shanghai Shenhua fell 1-2 away to Guangzhou Evergrande in an early game of the Chinese Super League's 24th round last night, keeping the hosts on track to repeat as champions.
Former Shenhua striker Gao Lin scored the opener for the hosts with a header 5 minutes into the second half on an accurate pass from Brazilian Elkeson, despite being marked by Shenhua defender Bai Jiajun.
But the visitors were granted a lifeline within four minutes when Gao was ruled to have fouled Bai inside the box. Colombian midfielder Giovanni Moreno stepped up to take the penalty, deceiving goalie Zeng Cheng to level the score at Tianhe Sports Center.
The twist in the game came in the 71st, when Shenhua defender Wang Changqing received a second yellow for a dangerous kick when competing for the ball with Elkeson. Wang's departure proved costly for the visitors.
With a man-advantage, Guangzhou boosted its attack. In the 80th, Elkeson managed to grab the ball after a bad clearance from Shenhua defenders in the box, and scored what turned out to be the winner past goalie Wang Dalei.
It was the playmaker's 21st goal of the season, giving him a comfortable seven-goal advantage over Edu of Liaoning Whowin in the CSL scoring chart.
The game turned testy towards the end with all four Shenhua defenders booked and quibbling players had to be separated after the match.
Guangzhou leads the CSL standing with 63 points, seven more than Shandong Luneng. Shanghai Shenhua ranks sixth on 29 points. The other two Shanghai teams play tomorrow, with Shanghai Shenxin facing Dalian Aerbin and East Asia hosting Hangzhou Greentown.
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