Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dubai: Ahead of Saturday’s AFC Champions League final 1st leg, all you need to know about Guangzhou Evergrande.
Overview
After making history in 2013 by defeating FC Seoul to become the first Chinese team to win the AFC Champions League, Guangzhou Evergrande came up short in their title defence last year as they went out in the quarter-finals to Western Sydney Wanderers on away goals.
They won their fourth consecutive Chinese Super League title in 2014 to qualify for the AFC Champions League again and began well in Group H this season with wins in their first three games. They managed only one point from their last three games but it was still enough to put them at the top of a tough group that included Western Sydney, FC Seoul and Japanese side Kashima Antlers.
Guangzhou’s poor run continued in the last 16 when they lost 2-1 at Seongnam FC in the first leg but Ricardo Goulart ended a four-game drought to score twice in the return match as the Chinese club won 2-0 to advance to the quarter-finals for a fourth straight year.
They defeated Japanese opposition in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, overcoming Kashiwa Reysol 4-2 on aggregate in the last eight before edging past 2008 AFC Champions League winners Gamba Osaka 2-1 on aggregate to reach the final for the second time in three years.
AFC Champions League record
2014 – Quarter-Finals
2013 – Champions
2012 – Quarter-Finals
Team
Players
Head Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari
Born: November 9, 1948 (66)
Nationality: Brazilian
After an unremarkable playing career, Luiz Felipe Scolari has found great success as a coach, leading Brazil to their fifth FIFA World Cup title in 2002 and taking Portugal to the final of Euro 2004 and the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup.
In his 33 years of coaching, the Brazilian has also won Copa Libertadores titles with Gremio in 1995 and Palmeiras in 1999 and he took charge of teams in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Japan, England and Uzbekistan before accepting the Guangzhou Evergrande job in June following the departure of Fabio Cannavaro.
Photo: WSG