Guangzhou Evergrande trounced Wuhan Zall 4-1 to maintain their top spot in the Chinese Super League on Monday.
Wuhan Zall hosted Chinese Super League leaders Guangzhou Evergrande on Monday.
World Cup winning coach Marcelo Lippi’s Evergrande outfit went into the match sitting pretty at the top of the standings with a comfortable eight point lead compared to Wuhan’s spot right at the bottom.
That vast difference in quality showed moments after the kick off – Guangzhou’s prolific Brazilian striker Muriqui struck the opening goal after just 29 seconds to give visitors the lead.
Muriqui yet again was in focus in the eighth minute when he was fouled inside the area by Wuhan’s Serbian defender Novak Martinovic. The referee awarded a penalty and Guangzhou’s midfielder Dario Conca made no mistake from the spot.
Two minutes later, Guangzhou led by three goals – Muriqui ran into the area and cut it back to compatriot Elkeson, who showed brilliant skills to poke the ball between the defense to find the back of the net.
The hosts finally reduced the margin soon after the half hour mark when Nigerian Chukwuma Akabueze slammed home from the edge of the area. The goal bringing some much needed cheer to the Wuhan bench and their fans.
Guangzhou completed the tally with ten minutes remaining when Conca sent a delightful pass off a free kick to Zhang Linpeng, who finished the move with ease, giving Lippi’s team a convincing 4-1 win.
