Guangzhou Evergrande flexed their muscles and moved clear at the top as Shandong did well to keep apace by beating Beijing on their own turf in week 7. Once again Wild East Football is here with all the weekends highlights on one page for your convenience. Enjoy!
Henan Jianye 1-2 Guizhou Renhe
Coming off successive defeats, last weekend in the CSL and midweek in the Asian Champions league, Guizhou traveled to Henan in a bid to reverse the downward momentum. And in the driving rain, with poor underfoot conditions, the battled back from a goal down for a scrappy 2-1 win.
Henan looked to take advantage of their dispirited opponents and took the lead within 20 minutes after some strong work from forward Rafael. The Angolan wrestled passed Guizhou’s big centre back, Sally, and his close raged shot was parried into the path of Zhang Lu who showed good reflexes to fire in from close range.
It took another 43 minutes for the away side to break down Henan’s resilience but in 4 manic second half minutes Guizhou scored twice to secure the three points. Midfielder Xavier Chen scored a beautiful long range, first time effort from a corner, before frontman Hyuri scored the winner with an easy tap in at the far post. It was a valuable win for Renhe as the remain mid-table with the season taking shape.
Beijing Guoan 0-3 Shandong Luneng
Despite the intense atmosphere at a packed Worker’s Stadium, Beijing Guoan failed to satisfy the faithful as Shandong Luneng’s Vagner Love was the star of the night, scoring an impressive hat trick in a match marred by horrible refereeing.
Guangzhou Evergrande 2-1 Shanghai Shenhua
Despite Shanghai Shenhua’s recent Batista-inspired resurgence there were to be no surprises at Tianhe Stadium this weekend, as last season’s 2-1 win was replicated by a Guangzhou Evergrande side absent several usual starters.
Liaoning Whowin 0-2 Tianjin Teda
Tianjin climbed out of the relegation zone with a hard fought win away to their fellow northerners. It was a tight affair with a lot of chances both ways but in the end a second half Hu Rentian brace was the difference.
Hu’s first came after a ridiculous mistake from Whowin centre back Yang Shanping, who tried to cleverly flick the ball over the opposing player only to fail miserably. There was still a lot to do though as Hu played a one-two with skipper Wang Xinxin before neatly chipping the ‘keeper. His second, coming not long after the first, was a beautiful curling shot from distance. The relegation battle will be won and lost in games like these between cellar dwellers.
Dalian Aerbin 1-1 Shanghai East Asia
Both teams entered the game desperate for a win, but for very different reason. And after a 1-1 stalemate both will go home feeling like the missed out on 2 points after a back and forth contest that could have swung either way. Although it was the home side, Aerbin, who will be less happy after the conceded a soft goal after poor defending from a long free kick into the air.
There was controversy in the 10th minute as a long ball into the 6 yard box was handled by before it dropped nicely to Bruno to finish. The Brazilian missed but was still awarded the penalty, which he duly slotted home. One can question, however, wether a player should be awarded an opportunity to convert the chance through advantage, as well as the penalty.
On the half hour mark Aerbin failed to clear a long free kick. They let it bounce all the way to the back post where Shanghai’s captain Wang Shenchao lobbed the goalie with a well placed header.
Changchun Yatai 2-3 Guangzhou R&F
R&F dominated possession but without Hamdallah they struggled to create chances so Sven Goran Eriksson replaced Islo with Zhang Shuo at half time and the move immediately paid dividends as the Cantonese set about atoning for their first half sins. Zhang Yuan was shifted to the right wing and his cut-back from the goal-line inside the area was deflected into his own goal by the unfortunate Uzbek Anzur Ismailov.
Shanghai Shenxin 1-1 Jiangsu Sainty
In another tight contest, which seems to be a trend in week 7 and a good sign for the rest of the season, Sainty travelled to struggling Shanghai and left with a point in their pocket.
After several wasted chances from both teams for the good part of an hour, Shenxin finally broke to deadlock on the hour mark when Wang Jun converted a penalty (which the highlights managed to miss somehow). In the 76th minute, however, Sainty levelled to set up a tense finish, with their inspiration forward Dejan, tapping in after an easy headed chance rebounded into his path off the post. What a season the big Serbian is having.
Hangzhou Greentown 2-1 Harbin Yiteng
The saddest part of this game isn’t that Harbin lost their seventh game on the trot, but rather that they really should have won this game and didn’t look like an outfit looking as though they are all but relegated with most of the season still to play. And they must have really started believing when they took the lead in the 60th minute through a cool finish from Brazilian Dori.
Yet it wasn’t to be as a late Ramon brace saw off the winless Harbin. He scored once in the 67th minute and another in the 84th, both times being swamped by his team mates and the bench in a sign of solidarity for the Zhejiang team. The team spirit looks good after this week and last week’s morale boosting come-from-behind victories which sees sitting them comfortably mid-table.
