Shanghai SIPG advances into AFC semis on dramatic night
rapid 52-ball 86. His career best Twenty20 score had 10 boundaries and two sixes.
Azam added 122 for the second
Midfielder Yu Hai was the hero for Andre Villas-Boas’ battered side, holding his nerve to bury the decisive spot-kick and SIPG will face either of the Japanese teams Kawasaki Frontale or Urawa Reds in the last four.
It was a thrilling game of high drama between the top two teams in the Chinese Super League (CSL).
Hosts Evergrande won 5-1 on the night in extra time, the quarterfinal tie ending 5-5 on aggregate.
The Brazilian Ricardo Goulart scored a hattrick for Evergrande, forcing extra time with his second and then rescuing the game at 5-5 on 118 minutes.
But it was he who missed Evergrande’s penalty in the shootout, leaving him in tears afterwards as the SIPG players and staff celebrated on the pitch.
The battered visitors SIPG played most of extra time with 10 men after Wang Jiajie was booked for a second time.
The Brazilian bruiser Hulk stepped up on 110 minutes to slam the ball into the net with a blockbuster of a free kick and make it a scarcely believable 5-4 on aggregate.
But just when SIPG thought they were going through, the Brazilian Muriqui was felled in the box and Goulart buried the penalty with two minutes left on the clock for 5-5 on aggregate, his hat-trick and penalties. wicket with Ahmed Shehzad (39) as Pakistan built on the loss of opener Fakhar Zaman for eight.
Shoaib Malik smashed a 20-ball
The 28-year-old winger Alan was chief tormentor in the first half, punishing some slapstick SIPG defending to give Evergrande a glimmer of hope on 21 minutes when he rounded Yan Junling.
It was just a taste of the drama to come. 38 with two sixes and four boundaries to give the final touches to the innings.
The World XI started off well with
GUANGZHOU: Shanghai SIPG survived an almighty scare to sneak into the semifinals of the AFC Champions League 5-4 on penalties and break Guangzhou Evergrande hearts on Tuesday.
On 35 minutes the Brazilian was at it again, darting in to head home and make it 2-0 on the night, 4-2 to SIPG on aggregate.
It was game on and Evergrande, odds-on to retain their CSL title with SIPG a distant second, and their manager Luiz Felipe Scolari went into the break smelling blood.
Villas-Boas had seen enough and made two changes at halftime. The Portuguese, who like Scolari is a former Chelsea manager, raged on the sidelines as Evergrande pushed for a third.