Guangzhou reach AFC Champions League final after thrashing Kashiwa
Marcello Lippi’s team are first Chinese side to play for the continental club championship title after demolition job on Kashiwa Reysol
A fourth four-goal win in a row saw Guangzhou Evergrande create history last night as they became the first Chinese side in the AFC Champions League era to reach the final of the continental club championship.
A 4-0 victory over Kashiwa Reysol secured an 8-1 aggregate victory for Marcello Lippi's team, who become the first Chinese side to reach the final of a continental competition since Dalian Wanda lost in the final of the Asian Club Championship back in 1998.
Since then, Asian club soccer has undergone a radical overhaul, with the Chinese game struggling at times to keep up with teams from Japan, South Korea and the Middle East since the creation of the AFC Champions League in 2002 and the advent of greater professionalism throughout the Asian game.
It's very positive having the team in the final because it adds to the growth that I've seen in the team that won the championship last year, and now we want to go on and win the title
But that has all changed with the arrival of the money men from Evergrande and with Lippi overseeing a squad that features the bulk of the Chinese national team as well as the stellar South American talents of Dario Conca, Elkeson and Muriqui, a place was booked in this year's final with consummate professionalism.
"It's very positive having the team in the final because it adds to the growth that I've seen in the team that won the championship last year, and now we want to go on and win the title," said Lippi.
"Reaching the final is something that's extremely positive and we will put all our efforts into winning the title for the club and the fans and everyone else here.
"We have tonight put in a very compact performance and that's what you need to get through these matches and this is what helped us tonight. I think a team playing this way completely deserves to reach the final."