Jianlibao strikeforce demolishes Liaoning

Shenzhen Jianlibao belatedly unveiled their new-look strikeforce for the 2004 Chinese Super League with a 3-0 beating of a Liaoning side that last week scored four unanswered goals against the mighty Dalian Shide.

Only the limits of the home team's ambition stemmed the orange tide in a match that should have been over as a contest long before half-time, but effectively was just three minutes into the second period when Lu Bofei scored what would prove to be the last goal of the game.

That pristine attack combined to set up the third having shared the first half scoring honours.

Hungarian international Zoltan Kovacs, who was kept out of last weekend's goalless opener at Shenyang by an ankle injury, needed just 19 minutes to open his account for the Guangdong side, rifling into the roof of the net after Chinese international Zheng Zhi had created pandemonium in the Liaoning defence.

Yang Chen, restored as a spearhead after languishing in midfield after his return from Germany last March, got the second as the visitor's offside trap malfunctioned allowing the 30-year-old to fire low into the far corner. A call from a desperate Arie Haan can't be far away.

'Starting 0-0 was OK, but this was a lot better,' said Kovacs, himself no spring chicken at 31 years of age.

'I think we still have another 30 per cent. I don't think this was us at 100 per cent. At least I hope this wasn't our maximum.'