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Shanghai, Dalian open Champions League with win
(afcchampionsleague.com)
Updated: 2006-03-09 14:53
“Honestly speaking, Dalian couldn't play smoothly because they lacked the
feeling of the game.
“I think the final score shows exactly the difference between the two teams,
although I would be happier if the score was 2-1. We deserved to get one goal
from Dalian.”
Da Nang will be hoping their fighting spirit will get them their first points
of the campaign when they travel to Japan for a meeting with J.League champions
Gamba Osaka on March 22, while Dalian face Chonbuk Motors at home on the same
day.
Xie recovered from a recent knee injury to start the game against the
Vietnamese champions but it was midfielder Wang Ke who gave the former Chinese
league champions the lead in the ninth minute.
Ivan Jovanovic, Shenhua’s new import from Serbia and Montenegro, sent over a
cross that found Wang and he fired home with his right foot to give Shanghai the
perfect start.
Jovanovic made the most of his pace to beat the offside trap in the 12th
minute and had only the Vietnam goalkeeper to beat, but he surprised Dong Tam
Long An's keeper Fabio dos Santos by passing the ball to Xie, who powered the
ball into the net.
Shenhua kept up the pressure on the visitors and turned the match into a
one-sided affair in the first half.
The visiting team's Nguyen Xuan Hoang and Nguyen Minh Phuong were booked as
they tried in vain to stop Shenhua's offense, but the hosts were relentless as
Xie's close-range header three minutes before the half flew just wide.
Dong Tam Long An's best chance in the opening half came when captain Bruno's
free kick found Nguyen Ngoc Thanh unmarked, but he shot wide in the 30th minute.
Shenhua maintained their momentum at the beginning of second half and, in the
53rd minute, took advantage of their aerial superiority to go further in front.
From a corner, former Celtic defender Du Wei rose first to meet the ball,
steering it on the head of Xie, who put it into the back of the net to expand
Shanghai’s lead to 3-0.
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