In the 5th round of the AFC Champions League, Guangzhou Evergrande (Guangzhou for short), plagued by a losing streak, encountered Japanese powerhouse Sakura Osaka. The result of the match was saddening, Guangzhou suffered a 0-5 defeat to their opponents and thus suffered 5 consecutive losses, and were unable to shoot on target for 3 consecutive matches. Guangzhou Evergrande followed Beijing Guoan and also stepped into the ranks of big score loss!
The match between Cerezo Osaka and Guangzhou came to a climax in the 32nd minute, when Rikuji Kato scored with a precise sweeping shot to give Cerezo Osaka an early 1-0 lead. At the start of the second half, Taishi Matsumoto put the ball into the net unmarked to give Cerezo Osaka a 2-0 lead. In the 66th minute, Guangzhou's back line exposed another weakness and Pagnusat capitalized with a header to extend the lead to 3-0. Immediately after, in the 71st minute, Taishi Matsumoto added another goal to give Cerezo Osaka a 4-0 lead over Guangzhou.
The game went into extra time, Guangzhou lost an offside penalty, and Rikuji Kato showed his bravery again, scoring twice, and Guangzhou eventually lost to Cerezo Osaka 0-5. Although Guangzhou had lost four straight matches, this defeat was certainly more stinging than the scores of the other matches. Guangzhou's performance is getting closer to Beijing Guoan's, which has had previous painful lessons of 0-5 and 0-7.
Only two Chinese Super League (CSL) teams have advanced to the main round of the AFC Champions League this season, yet both are now out of the competition and have suffered big losses. Of the nine matches played, both teams have earned just one draw and eight losses, with Beijing Guoan scoring just one point in the first round. Despite making way for the Top 12 and the Chinese Super League by fielding a young squad, the results are disappointing and will have a negative impact on the subsequent allocation of Chinese Super League spots in the AFC Champions League.
