Kashima: The irrepressible Paulinho struck yet again and Guangzhou Evergrande advanced to the last eight of the 2017 AFC Champions League for the fifth time in six season on Tuesday, but Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side saw off Kashima Antlers with nothing to spare.
Grinding out the right result – even a narrow loss like Tuesday’s that yielded an away goals win – is a hallmark of Scolari’s career and, despite a string of unconvincing performances, the two-time champions are ready to launch a final push for yet another Asian crown.
“I only said one thing to my players during the half-time break: we only need one goal,” said the Brazilian World Cup winner after the game. “Sometimes you have to be smart enough to take advantage of the rules.”
But the margins were especially fine for Scolari and his Chinese Super League side as Kashima pushed them all the way in their own quest for a berth in the last eight.
PEDRO JUNIOR SPARKS KASHIMA COMEBACK
Needing a goal after their 1-0 loss in Guangzhou, Kashima knew they hgad to go on the attack and it was Brazilian Pedro Junior who took the fight to the Chinese Super League side as he ran at the defence from his position just behind Yuma Suzuki.
Feng Xiaoting was alert to the danger presented by the Brazilian in the early stages of the game before Pedro Junior gave Kashima the lead with a fabulous strike having picked up possession close to the halfway line
Having bounced off challenges from Huang Bowen and Liu Jian – neither attempted tackle will have pleased Scolari – the 30-year-old smashed the ball into the top corner with a fine strike from outside the area.
His failure to add a second – as he could have done in the dying seconds of the first half – proved pivotal and gave Guangzhou enough scope to haul themselves back into the game in the second half.
GUANGZHOU GO WIDE FOR GLORY
Guangzhou adopted a similar approach at the start of the game as they did in the first-leg, targeting the right back position in Kashima’s defence after the tactic bore significant fruit at Tianhe Stadium.
But with Masatada Ishii drafting in Daigo Nishi in place of Yukitoshi Ito it became apparent the home side had dealt with some of their vulnerabilities in that area, even if Scolari had instructed Gao Lin, Alan and Ricardo Goulart as well as left back Li Xuepeng to overload on that side in the opening minutes.
As the game wore on, Guangzhou shifted their approach to the left side of the Kashima defence, despite the loss of marauding right back Zhang Linpeng late in the first half with an ankle injury.
It was through build-up play on this side that Evergrande eventually equalised, with Alan hitting the post after being fed the ball by Gao Lin following Yu Hanchao’s throw and Paulinho scoring from close range.
Tellingly, less than 18 percent of Guangzhou’s attack went through the middle, highlighting the respect shown to the central defensive pairing of Gen Shoji and Nakamichi Ueda shown by Scolari.
PAULINHO THE DIFFERENCE ONCE AGAIN
In the end it was Paulinho who delivered for Guangzhou once again, with the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder claiming the goal his head coach demanded in that halftime team talk.
Even on a night when his team lost and the Brazilian might not have been as influential as he has been at other times so far in the competition, Paulinho produced a game-changing performance that ultimately took Guangzhou into the quarterfinal draw.
He continues to make up for a Guangzhou attack that struggles to convert chances, with Paulinho scoring once and seeing two other attempts hit the target, more than the team’s entire attacking quartet of Gao, Ricardo Goulart, Alan and Huang Bowen combined.
That foursome did not manage a shot on target at all throughout the 90 minutes between them and it is a failing Scolari could seek to address before the tournament resumes in August.
Photo: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com