No joy for Scolari
Brazilian coach’s Evergrande on brink of shock exit
SAITAMA (Japan): Yuki Muto’s second-half winner left title-holders Guangzhou Evergrande teetering on the brink of a shock AFC Champions League exit as they went down 1-0 to Urawa Red Diamonds.
Muto’s header seven minutes after half-time on Tuesday consigned Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari’s super-rich Chinese champions to their second defeat in four games and left them rooted to the bottom of Group H.
With two games to go, winless Evergrande have just two points so far, five points off second place and a spot in the last 16, with their title defence seemingly at an end.
The five-time defending Chinese Super League champions looked anything but winners in a cauldron atmosphere as they faced Japan’s Urawa and their massed ranks of fans in Saitama.
If not for some agile keeping by Zeng Cheng, the scoreline could have been worse for a team featuring ex-Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Paulinho and former Atletico Madrid striker Jackson Martinez, their record signing.
Muto put Evergrande on the ropes on 52 minutes when he instinctively got his head to Tomoya Ugajin’s first-time ball across the box, following a cross from Takahiro Sekine.
Zeng Cheng saved brilliantly from Sekine at close range but Tadanari Lee was left thumping the turf in exasperation when he passed up an open goal and instead tamely poked his shot at the goalkeeper.
“It was a tough game but the players and supporters came together and fought as one – it’s a big three points,” said goalscorer Muto.
“I just got on the end of it, it was a real team goal so I’m glad to have finished it off. The fans really pushed us over the line tonight so I’m glad to have given them something to cheer about,” he added.
Urawa’s victory lifted them to second in Group H behind Sydney FC, who moved to the verge of the knockout stages with a 1-0 home win over South Korea’s Pohang Steelers.
Milos Ninkovic grabbed the winner for Sydney, who now have nine points from four games, in the 51st minute and at the second attempt after two Pohang players failed to clear the ball.
Elsewhere, in Group F, free-scoring FC Seoul lost their perfect record when they were held to a 0-0 draw by China’s Shandong Luneng, with Brazilian sharpshooter Adriano unable to add to his nine goals so far.
And Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima kept up their bid for the knockout stages when they beat Thailand’s Buriram United 2-0 away. – AFP