Big-spending Jiangsu stay on top in Asia
— Former Chelsea midfielder Ramires scored the goal that kept China’s big-spending Jiangsu Suning on top of their AFC Champions League group with a 1-0 win at Japan’s Gamba Osaka on Wednesday.
The Brazilian midfielder, who cost Jiangsu 28 million euros from the London club in January 2016, struck a gorgeous finish with his left foot from 20 yards six minutes before half-time.
Gamba threw everything forward in the second half as they went in search of an equaliser, but it was Jiangsu who went closest to another goal with some lightning counter-attacking led by man-ofthe-match Ramires and countryman Alex Teixeira, who cost 50 million euros from Shakhtar Donetsk just over a year ago.
The result leaves Jiangsu sitting pretty five points clear at the top of Group H with a perfect three wins from three outings. Adelaide United got their first point of the campaign after coming from behind twice in a pulsating 3-3 draw at home to Korea’s Jeju United in the other Group H match.
A goalless first half gave no clue to the fireworks that were to unfold after half-time as the match transformed from bore draw into a six-goal thriller. The South Australian champions took the lead when Papa Diawara stroked home a 51st minute penalty.
Free-scoring Jeju, who put four goals past Gamba Osaka in Japan a fortnight ago, hit back 10 minutes later through their giant striker Frederic Mendy and took the lead when Brazilian Marcelo Toscano thumped home an unstoppable right-foot piledriver from the edge of the box on 71 minutes.
But Adelaide pulled it back to 2-2 less than two minutes later when Sergio Cirio headed home from Ben Garuccio’s cross.
That set the stage for a crazy finale as Kwon Soon-Hyung fired Jeju 3-2 ahead with six minutes remaining only for Adelaide to level again, this time within 60 seconds of the restart.