Cannavaro still looking for win
Guangzhou Evergrande coach Fabio Cannavaro endured a frustrating draw for a second week in a row as his squad was held 0-0 by Japan’s Cerezo Osaka in the Asian Champions League on Wednesday.
The results means the Italian World Cup winner has yet to steer his team to a win since returning to the club ahead of the new Chinese Super League (CSL) season.
“We prepared very carefully for this match and the team showed outstanding spirit,” said Cannavaro.
“What matters most is that we created so many opportunities, but we only have two points.”
Guangzhou struggled with a lack of fluency and it was Cerezo who looked the more likely to take all three points with a strong finish inspired by substitute Yoichiro Kakitani.
But the seven-time CSL champion did enough to take a point. Guangzhou sits third in Group G, two points back of leader Cerezo and one behind South Korea’s Jeju United, which handed Buriram United a 2-0 defeat in Thailand.
Japan’s Kashima Antlers impressed in a 2-1 win over Suwon Bluewings in which Dejan Damjanovic missed a penalty for the South Korean side. Mu Kanazaki scored both goals to send the J League club atop Group H.
Meanwhile, Sydney FC rebounded from its disappointing opening-day performance against Suwon to claim a 2-2 draw with Shanghai Shenhua, although Graham Arnold’s side remains last in the group.
“It was a much better performance today compared to the first game,” said Alex Brosque, who scored Sydney’s second goal and also hit the crossbar in the first half.
“We played a lot better and we moved the ball around a lot more and we had more of the chances.
“On another night I think we get four or five, but it was just that goal was missing.”
Al Hilal fired head coach Ramon Diaz after the Argentine’s side lost 1-0 to Iran’s Esteghlal in Group D.
Diaz led the Saudi Arabian team to the final of last year’s tournament in November when it lost to Urawa Reds. However, Abdullah Al Hafith’s own goal just after the restart gave the side from Teheran all three points to leave Al Hilal sitting last.
Esteghlal tops the group with four points, one more than Qatar’s Al Rayyan and Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates, which battled to a 1-1 stalemate.
Baghdad Bounedjah scored twice as Al Sadd of Qatar moved to the top of Group C with a perfect record as it downed last year’s semifinalists, Persepolis of Iran, 3-1.
Uzbekistan’s Nasaf Qarshi secured its first win of the campaign with a 1-0 victory over Al Wasl from the UAE.