Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Guangzhou: A brace from Ricardo Goulart took former champions Guangzhou Evergrande into the AFC Champions League quarter-finals for the fourth consecutive time after Wednesday’s 2-0 second leg win over Korea Republic’s Seongnam FC secured a 3-2 victory on aggregate.
Brazilian striker Goulart (pictured) gave the 2013 winners the lead three minutes short of the half hour mark from the penalty spot to cancel out last week’s 2-1 deficit from the first leg.
And the South American added his second on 57 minutes to ensure coach Fabio Cannavaro emulated his FIFA World Cup-winning predecessor Marcello Lippi by continuing Guangzhou’s run of last eight appearances.
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Video highlights
In an action-packed beginning to the tie, Guangzhou pressed relentlessly for the opener that would put them ahead on away goals following Huang Bowen’s strike in last week’s defeat, although their early dominance was tempered by an injury to China defender Zhang Linpeng, who was replaced by Rong Hao inside the opening eight minutes.
But just as the game threatened to descend into a scrappy affair as both sides tried to get a foothold on midfield, Huang’s 25th minute shot from 20 yards was adjudged to have been blocked by the arm of Seongnam’s Kwak Hae-seong inside the area.
And Goulart stepped up and confidently blasted home the resulting penalty to net his tournament-leading seventh goal of the campaign and put the hosts ahead in the tie.
Seongnam captain Kim Do-heon had the K-League Classic club’s best chance of the first period with six minutes remaining as the midfielder found space inside the area to turn and fire off a shot that forced Guangzhou goalkeeper Zeng Cheng into a flying save to his right.
Needing to score to take the lead on aggregate, Seongnam came out more positively in the second half and only a scrambling Zeng on his goalline kept out Kim Do-heon’s wickedly inswinging corner.
The Seongnam skipper’s influence continued to grow, as did his team’s confidence, and Kim Do-heon had the ball in the net on 53 minutes, only to see the assistant referee’s flag raised for offside.
But in Guangzhou’s very next attack the home side scored their second three minutes short of the hour mark as Zheng Long’s corner was flicked on at the near post by the head of Goulart and the ball zipped into the far corner of the net to extend the Brazilian’s continental tally to eight goals in eight appearances.
Visiting coach Kim Hak-bum responded by throwing on Hwang Ui-jo, Seongnam’s leading scorer in the competition, although it was Brazilian Jorginho who was next to trouble Zeng with a deflected effort that bobbled in front of the goalkeeper before Kim Do-heon struck a low shot from range narrowly wide on 76 minutes.
Needing a goal to take the match into extra-time, Seongnam pushed forward with greater urgency in the final 10 minutes and Zeng was indebted to the aid from defender Liu Jian in clearing a dangerous low cross from Park Tae-min.
Lim Chai-min then had a golden chance deep into stoppage time, but his toe-poked low shot from inside the six-yard area was blocked by the outstretched leg of Zeng as Guangzhou booked their place in the quarter-final draw on June 18.
Photo: WSG