Chinese Super League: Marouane Fellaini hat-trick and historic day for Hong Kong
- Belgian Marouane Fellaini scores an eight-minute hat-trick of headers in Shandong Luneng’s 3-2 comeback win over Dalian Pro
- Hongkongers Tan Chun-lok and Tsun Dai face off in historic meeting between Guangzhou R&F and Shenzhen
Belgian star Marouane Fellaini scored an eight minute hat-trick of headers for Shandong Luneng as 10 more teams got their Chinese Super League season under way on Sunday.
The former Manchester United midfielder netted three times between the 79th and 86th minutes to swing the game from Dalian Pro, who had gone 1-0 up through Salomon Rondon.
Sweden’s Marcus Danielson scored a debut consolation for Dalian in injury time to make the final score 3-2. Dalian are the only team playing in their home city in the CSL’s two-group 2020 season being played out there and Suzhou.
Elsewhere, history was made in the meeting between Guangzhou R&F and Shenzhen where two Hong Kong Chinese players started.
Tan Chun-lok lined up for R&F while Dai Wa-tsun, better known as Tsun Dai, newly arrived in Shenzhen from Wolves in the English Premier League, was his opposite number.
Both players featured deep into Shenzhen’s 3-1 win, with Tsun replaced after 74 minutes and Tan on 78. The last Hong Kong Chinese player to start in the CSL was Ng Wai-chiu in 2010. Shenzhen’s goals came from a Li Songyi own goal, Harold Preciado and Gao Lin, the China striker’s first since moving from Guangzhou Evergrande.