Chinese super league powerhouse Shanghai Shenhua made a
morale-boosting win over Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 3-0 in the first
match of A3 Champions Cup in Jinan on Thursday.
Just 10 minutes after the match, Shanghai Shenhua's forward
Hamilton Ricard scored the opening goal. Shenhua could have won
more in the first half as Wang Ke and Alongso both got chances.
In the second half, Shenhua performed more aggressively as they
made more shoots. In the 62nd minute, Xie Hui delivered the ball to
Li Gang, who made a clear shot to make it double. Alonso Lopez
Diego Martin scored the third after ten minutes.
At the end of the match, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma players
frequently laid siege to Shenhua, but their efforts did not pay off
because Shenhua's goalkeeper Wang Dalei made several perfect saves
and Shenhua made good defenses.
"The match is much harder than I predicted since the weather's
so hot", said Gimenez Toledo Wison Osvaldo, coach of Shanghai
Shenhua. "But we played well. Winning this match is very
important."
Shenhua's triumph is a sweet revenge for their compatriot
Shandong Luneng as they just lost to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma?3-0
in the group match of AFC Champions League last month.
(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2007)