Scoring spree opens CSL season
Dalian’s drubbing and dramatic derby highlight weekend matches
The Chinese Super League returned in a whirlwind of goals and high drama over the weekend, boding well for predictions that this season could be one of its most exciting in years.
Eight matches delivered 33 goals, an average of 4.1 per game, with Dalian Yifang’s 8-0 humiliation at Shanghai SIPG establishing a record as the most lopsided victory in CSL history.
Expectations had risen at newly promoted Yifang after it paid Atletico Madrid a reported $58 million for Yannick Carrasco and Nicolas Gaitan, and another $7 million to West Ham for defender Jose Fonte last month.
However, the trio endured a nightmare on their debuts as SIPG’s Brazilian pair Hulk and Oscar tormented Dalian’s defense.
Oscar set SIPG on its way in the first minute and added a second goal in the 24th before a Hulk penalty gave the host a 3-0 advantage at halftime.
Dalian completely collapsed in the second period, conceding five goals in the space of 24 minutes, as Oscar completed his hat-trick and Chinese international winger Wu Lei also netted a treble.
“As the coach, I’m responsible for this,” said Yifang coach Ma Lin.
“We celebrate victories together, and we will bear the consequences of defeats together. Who’s responsible? No doubt, it’s me. I will not pass the buck to anyone.”
The next round does not look any easier for Yifang as it faces reigning seven-time champion Guangzhou Evergrande, which has welcomed ex-Italy international skipper Fabio Cannavaro back for a second stint in charge as manager following Liuz Felipe Scolari’s departure at the end of last season
Evergrande, however, also tasted defeat in its opening match, losing 5-4 to Guangzhou R&F in a dramatic local derby on Friday.
The foreign contingent led the charge, with R&F’s prolific Israeli striker Eran Zahavi and Evergrande’s Brazilian forward Alan both bagging hattricks.
Xiao Zhi’s 75th-minute winner lifted R&F to an openingday win over Evergrande for only the second time since it was promoted to the top flight in 2011.
Cannavaro admonished his players for their slow start.
“At the beginning we weren’t fully concentrated on the game,” said the coach. “Once we finally focused, the scoreline changed.
“I told my players that R&F is a team that makes a strong start to the season. I repeatedly told them this. R&F has done this for years.
“Of course, games at Tianhe (stadium) are never normal and the effort they put in must be stronger. I don’t want to accept the players conceding two goals in just 10 minutes.
“The CSL is getting harder and harder and you have to focus from the very beginning of the match.”
The loss gave credence to the notion that Evergrande’s era of dominance could be coming to an end.
Last year’s runner-up SIPG look like Evergrande’s most likely challenger after Vitor Pereira’s side’s eight-goal obliteration of Dalian. But two other clubs tipped to challenge for the title did not fare so well.
Hebei China Fortune, with new Argentine signing Javier Mascherano starting in midfield, needed an 87th-minute equalizer to rescue a point in a 1-1 draw at Tianjin Teda, while Beijing Guo’an went down 3-0 at Shandong Luneng as Congolese striker Cedric Bakambu, signed from Villarreal in the offseason, endured a frustrated start to his career in China.
Elsewhere, a double from French striker Anthony Modeste helped last season’s thirdplace finisher Tianjin Quanjian to a 4-0 triumph at Henan Jianye.
New rules kick in
Much has been made of new Chinese Football Association regulations designed to give more chances to young homegrown talent.
The number of under-23 Chinese players that teams play must at least equal the number of foreigners on the pitch, while teams also must have at least three under-23 players in their 18-man lineups and must start at least one of them.
That resulted in 49 under23s seeing game action over the weekend, with 24 starting and 10 playing the full 90 minutes.
It is also worth noting that, unlike last term, no under-23 players were replaced before halftime.
Last season some teams exploited loopholes in the rules by replacing youngsters shortly after kickoff.
Perhaps the only negative was the lack of goals from the under-23 contingent. Huang Zichang of Jiangsu Suning was the only one to find the net, helping his team to a 3-1 victory over Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng.