Defending Champions Guangzhou Evergrande On Their Way To Repeat

If it wasn't for all the futbol channels I have, I probably wouldn't have the chance to catch great games like this one in the Asian Football Champions League between Cerezo Osaka and defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan. The team that walks away with the AFC Champions League crown will move on to the Fifa Club World Cup where they'll take on every continental champions. For the defending champions, there is only one thing on their minds and that was to advance with a big win in the first leg of their round of 16 match where they were taking on Japanese J-League Cerezo Osaka which features Uruguayan legend Diego Forlan. Both teams started off the game playing hard as they tried to create chances on net, but it was the defending champions that would strike first blood. On the counter attack, Alessandro Diamanti will thread a ball through the Osaka defense that finds Muriqui who beats the goalkeeper for the first goal of the game.

The 1 goal lead however wouldn't last long when Diego Forlan was able to create a chance for his Osaka side to strike when he finds Aria Jasuru Hasegawa on the left side of the box who drives it home for the equalizer. That one goal lead would disappear three minutes later after a foolish challenge from Osaka's Yuta Someya gave away a penalty. Elkeson wouldn't miss the penalty and three minutes later from that he would drive home a header off of a beautiful cross on a free kick from Diamanti to give the defending champs a 3 to 1 lead over Osaka going into half time. Guangzhou had a great 3 away goal lead heading into the second half of the game and the team would add two more goals from Gao Lin and Muriqui to give themselves a 5 to 1 win and five away goals heading into the second leg next week when the two sides meet once again in Guangdong, China. You have to believe that Italian legend Marcello Lippi feels confident his side will prevail in the second leg and continue to find themselves moving further in the Champions League competition. My last thought on the game is that Guangzhou plays some very impressive football and I see the team moving far in this competition and if they make the FIFA Club World Cup, they'll move far in that.