Advertisement

Zeng head injury overshadows Guangzhou win

Doha (AFP) - A sickening head injury to Guangzhou Evergrande goalkeeper Zeng Cheng took the gloss off a 3-2 win over holders Western Sydney Wanderers in the AFC Champions League on Wednesday.

Play was halted for nearly 15 minutes after Zeng's collision with team-mate Kim Young-Gwon in the second half before he was stretchered off in a neck brace and taken to hospital.

Reports said the 28-year-old suffered a broken jaw in the incident, which resulted in a 17-minute period of stoppage time at Parramatta Stadium.

Record signing Ricardo Goulart's hat-trick had put Guangzhou 3-1 ahead, although the reigning champions threatened a comeback when Romeo Castelen pulled one back in injury time.

Despite Zeng's injury, it was an important win for the wealthy Chinese club who, as defending champions, were shocked by the Wanderers in last year's quarter-finals.

Rookie coach Fabio Cannavaro hailed 15-million-euro signing Goulart as the second win of his fledgling managerial career put Guangzhou top of Group H with a maximum six points.

"He had a very good performance today scoring three goals," Cannavaro said of the Brazilian forward.

"But it's only his second Champions League match so he will continue to improve."

The game in Sydney was Guangzhou's first of the post-Marcello Lippi era after their highly successful former coach quit his post as technical director last week.

Wanderers coach Tony Popovic was watching from the stands as he serves a two-match ban over an altercation during last year's bad-tempered quarter-final.

Goulart drilled Guangzhou Evergrande ahead in the 19th minute after fellow Brazilian Elkeson's back header and Gao Lin's pass in a neat build-up.

Iacopo La Rocca equalised 12 minutes after the break with a near-post header from a corner, but within a minute Goulart scored again with a slick finish from Gao's cross.

The Wanderers paid for more slack defending when Gao's cross was only played into the path of Goulart, who slotted home for his hat-trick and fourth in two games on 65 minutes.

In the extended stoppage time, Dutch substitute Castelen scored with a free header to fire up the home supporters and provide a tense finish.

But Guangzhou held firm to hand the Wanderers only their second home loss in the competition, after their 3-1 defeat to Ulsan Hyundai in their debut campaign last year.

Elsewhere in Group D, two-time champions and last year?s runners-up Al Hilal crashed to a shock 1-0 defeat to Qatar?s Al Sadd in Doha.

Former Asian Player of the Year Khalfan Ibrahim scored the only goal of the match, pouncing on a pass from Hassan al-Haydos and netting from close range with a left-footed shot in the 29th minute.

Al Hilal, who lost to Western Sydney Wanderers in the finals last year, found the going tough against an attack-oriented Al Sadd side who played a fast-paced game and were distinctly unlucky not to have won by a much higher margin.

But the 2011 champions had little to complain about as the win saw them top the Group with four points from two matches.

In Group D, UAE giants Al Ahli fell to a 1-0 defeat against Tractorsazi of Iran, with Farshad Ahmadzadeh scoring the winner in the 40th minute.

Al Ahli are bottom of the table with one point from two matches.

In Group H, Kim Jin-Kyu struck in the 66th minute as FC Seoul, 1-0 losers to Guangzhou in their opener last week, overcame Kashima Antlers by the same scoreline.

And in Group G, a second-minute goal from 19-year-old Brandon Borrello was enough to give A-League champions Brisbane Roar a 1-0 away win over Urawa Red Diamonds.