Guangzhou Evergrande claim third straight win, Beijing Guoan stay top

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Guangzhou Evergrande overwhelmed Henan Jianye 5-2 for their third straight victory in the Chinese Super League (CSL) on Sunday.

Yang Liyu gave Guangzhou Evergrande a 10th-minute lead, after smooth cooperation with striker Wei Shihao. Wei delivered his second assist to Brazilian midfielder Paulinho, who doubled the lead just two minutes later.

Host Henan suffered another blow when defender Gu Cao made an own goal in the 51st minute before Guangzhou midfielder Zhong Yihao exploited a defensive error for the comfortable 4-0 lead.

Cameroon striker Christian Bassogog pulled one back for Hennan by heading home from Lu Yao's assist, and Chen Hao cut the deficit to two with another header with three minutes left.

Guangzhou completed the rout two minutes later as Yan Dinghao scored with a cool finish in a one-on-one effort.

Renato Augusto (R) opens the score for Beijing Guoan. /VCG Photo

Elsewhere, Beijing Guoan beat Tianjin Teda 2-1 to stay at the top of the league, followed by Shanghai SIPG who defeated Dalian Yifang 2-1 in earlier afternoon.

Brazilian midfielder Renato Augusto broke the deadlock for Beijing in the 6th minute before Tianjin leveled nine minutes later as Brazilian striker Johnathan knocked the ball into the net. Beijing retook the lead two minutes after the break when Wang Ziming steered a brilliant shot beyond the goalkeeper.

"It's a tough game and an important victory for us. We controlled the game in the second half, but missed many opportunities which made us in a 2-1 dangerous position," Beijing Guoan coach Roger Schmidt said.

Brazilian forward Elkeson (L) has scored 7 goals for Shanghai SIPG in 12 Chinese Super League matches this season. /VCG Photo

Shanghai SIPG took the lead in the 31st minute as Brazilian striker Elkeson fired a low shot inside the box after receiving a cross from striker Li Shenglong.

Shanghai doubled their lead 12 minutes later when Dalian defender failed to clear a cross to hand a golden opportunity for Li Shenglong, who flicked the ball in from a tight angle at the back post.

Nyasha Mushekwi gave Dalian some hope after 61 minutes, heading home from Marek Hamsik's corner, but Shanghai held on to their lead to extend the winning streak to six.

"They made some errors and I seized the opportunity to score. It's difficult for us to beat Dalian on road, last year we came back with a defeat," Li said.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency