Guangzhou crush Osaka to take command
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E-mail China.org.cn, May 7, 2014
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Guangzhou's Muriqui opened his account in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday evening against Cerezo Osaka. |
Title-holders Guangzhou Evergrande all but booked their place in the quarterfinals of the 2014 AFC Champions League on Tuesday evening as destroyed Cerezo Osaka 5-1.
A quickfire double from Elkeson, a stylish brace from fellow Brazilian Muriqui and a lone effort from Gao Lin meant Marcello Lippi's team will have an easy task in next week's home leg.
Marcello Lippi's side had not previously won away in this year's competition and they were in danger of crashing out in the group stages before coming through in their final group game. But China's very first ACL winners roared back to title form as they took apart Cerezo, spearheaded by Uruguay star Diego Forlan, in front of their own fans in Osaka.
It took Guangzhou 22 minutes to take the lead as Alessandro Diamanti's perfectly weighted through ball sent Muriqui clear through the centre of the Cerezo defence, and the Brazilian finished with the kind of composure that made him so instrumental in his side's title winning season last year.
Eight minutes later, however, the J.League side pulled level when Forlan cut the ball back to Ariajasuru Hasegawa and he slotted beyond Zeng Cheng.
But Elkeson restored Guangzhou's lead just four minutes later from the penalty spot after Yuta Someya had taken the Brazilian down in the area and, in the 37th minute, the former Botafogo striker doubled his side's cushion when he glanced Diamanti's free kick beyond Kim Jin-hyeon's outstretched arm.
Cerezo failed to hit back after half-time and with 12 minutes left, Chinese forward Gao, brought on as a substitute for Elkeson, made it 4-1 when he put a shot between the goalkeeper's legs.
The quick-thinking Muriqui deepened Cerezo's plight when, leaping for a high ball, he used his shoulder to bounce it into the net, crashing into the post in the process and leaving the field.
Guangzhou have reached the quarter-finals in both their previous appearances and Cerezo will have to pull off one of the event's great turnarounds to deny the Chinese league-leaders this year.
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