Guangzhou R&F's hopes shattered in AFC Champions League
Guangzhou R&F’s hopes of joining cross-city soccer rivals Guangzhou Evergrande in the knockout phase of the AFC Champions League are in tatters after a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of former champions Gamba Osaka on Wednesday night.
Guangzhou R&F’s hopes of joining cross-city soccer rivals Guangzhou Evergrande in the knockout phase of the AFC Champions League are in tatters after a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of former champions Gamba Osaka on Wednesday night.
Gamba, winners of the continental title in 2008, avenged a two-goal defeat against R&F in the opening round of matches in February in emphatic fashion with Brazilian Patric and Hiroyuki Abe both scoring twice before Takashi Usami completed the rout 20 minutes from time.
The margin of defeat means R&F have no chance of advancing, even if they win their final game against Buriram United, as Gamba are guaranteed to finish above the Chinese Super League side due to their superior head-to-head record.
Guangzhou Evergrande became the first Chinese side to book their place in the knockout rounds on Tuesday evening when a 0-0 draw with FC Seoul secured them top spot in group H.
Shandong Luneng kept alive their chances of joining the Chinese Super League champions in the last 16. Shandong moved to within a point of second-placed Jeonbuk Motors in group E with a 3-1 win over Vietnam’s Binh Duong after fighting back from going a goal down through Nguyen Trong Hoang in the 20th minute.