Lippi leads Guangzhou into AFC quarters

GUANGZHOU: World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi led his new Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande into the AFC Champions League quarterfinals with a narrow 1-0 victory over FC Tokyo yesterday.
Brazilian striker Cleo’s strike on the half-hour decided a pulsating match in front of a vociferous crowd at Guangzhou’s Tianhe stadium as the hosts got over the line despite spurning a host of chances.
At the other end, FC Tokyo’s Brazilian forward Lucas saw a late header come back off the post as the Emperor’s Cup-holders came within inches of forcing extra time. The win, in only Lippi’s third game in charge, takes the highly ambitious Chinese champions into the last eight of Asia’s club showcase and a step closer to their goal of winning the continental title.
Argentine midfielder Dario Conca played a starring role with some bamboozling passes but it was Cleo who rounded off an attractive move for the game’s only goal.
Guangzhou’s other Brazilian marksman, Muriqui, played a killer ball over the defense which Cho Won-Hee half-volleyed goalwards for Cleo to bundle over from close range.
Italy’s Lippi became China’s biggest coaching acquisition when he replaced South Korean Lee Jang-Soo at big-spending Guangzhou, who also smashed the Chinese transfer record in acquiring Conca.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai sent Japanese title-holders Kashiwa Reysol crashing out with an entertaining 3-2 win.
Ulsan were aided by a Naoya Kondo own-goal as they became the only K-League side to reach the quarter-finals, after 2010 Asian champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma were ousted a day earlier.
Kim Shin-Wook put the hosts ahead on 54 minutes before Brazilian midfielder Leandro Domingues equalized for Kashiwa. But Kondo’s blunder restored the lead for Ulsan, who got their third on 88 minutes through Lee Keun-Ho.
Kashiwa’s Junya Tanaka rifled home a left-footed volley in injury-time but it came too late for a revival by the J-League side, who impressed at last year’s Club World Cup under their Brazilian coach Nelsinho.
Next month’s draw for the quarterfinals will also feature Australia’s Adelaide United and Uzbek champions Bunyodkor, who won on Tuesday.
Last week, three Saudi teams booked their places — two-time winners Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli — along with Sepahan of Iran.
Batista joins Shanghai, Drogba ‘may follow’
Ex-Argentina manager Sergio Batista said Chelsea’s Didier Drogba could soon join him at Shanghai Shenhua as he was unveiled as Chinese football’s latest star acquisition yesterday.
Batista indicated Drogba, who has already announced his departure from the European champions, could arrive within weeks at the Chinese club, where he would link up with former Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Anelka.
“The people from the club are doing the best things to get Drogba here,” Batista told journalists through a translator, adding the Ivorian striker could soon be a Shenhua player “if everything is okay.”
“I think every coach in the world wants to get Drogba on the team and I hope everything is okay. Anelka too,” he said.
Batista, who lifted the 1986 World Cup as a player and led Argentina to Olympic gold in 2008, takes the job vacated by Frenchman Jean Tigana, who was sacked in April after a weak start to his first season in charge.
FROM: AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE