The two teams battled it out from the opening kickoff in this torrential rainstorm-soaked thriller. Guangzhou Evergrande took a 1-0 lead in the 49th minute when Konka's clever cross from the left penetrated the Buriram defense. In the 56th minute, Surya quickly equalized to make the score 1-1, and in the 88th minute, Cleo's penalty kick was saved by the goalkeeper, but Kongka's shot was still in the net. In the end, Guangzhou Evergrande won the match with a score of 2-1. With this victory, Evergrande consolidated its points advantage over Japanese team Kashiwa Reysol and secured the first place in the group.
Eleven years have passed, and the powerhouse of the year is no longer in the limelight. Let's take a look back at the 14 players who represented Guangzhou Evergrande at that time, where have they gone now?
Last season, Zheng Zhi was both a coach and a player for Guangzhou, choosing to leave after the team's relegation and serving as an assistant coach for the national soccer team. Now he has returned to his old stomping grounds, Shanghai Seaport, in a coaching role. Zhang Linpeng, on the other hand, has followed in Zheng Zhi's footsteps and returned to Shanghai Seaport.
Retired player Li Shuai made the transition to become Shanghai Shenhua's goalkeeping coach. Despite being naturalized in Guangzhou, Feng Xiaoting left Shenhua this season for China A team Dongguan League. Qin Sheng was dropped by Shenhua and his current destination is unknown. Zhao Xuri, who plays for Pingguo Ha Rang in China A Guangxi, left Shenzhen this season to become a free agent.
Jiang Ning returns to the Chinese Super League after playing for Qingdao Hainiu.
Brazilian striker Cleo, Argentine midfielder Konka and South Korean midfielder Cho Won-hee have all retired, while Muric plays for Brazilian side Remo. Sun Xiang and Feng Junyan have also opted to retire, with Sun now serving as vice president of the Chinese Super League's Shanghai Harbour Football Club.
The match came to an end with the departure of Lee Jang-soo and Lippi taking over as the new head coach of Guangzhou Evergrande.
