The last time a Chinese soccer club won an Asian Championship title was way back in 1990, but now, thanks to Guangzhou Evergrande, that dry-spell is over. And as CCTV’s Nie Jia tells us, the win could mean much more to Chinese soccer than just a trophy.
Guangzhou Evergrande became the first Chinese team to win the Asian Football Confederation’s Champions League title on Saturday. They won the title on away goals after finishing tied on aggregate. In the 58th minute, Brazilian forward Elkeson finally broke the deadlock. But FC Seoul leveled the score four minutes later with their first chance of the game. Dejan Damjanovic fired home a shot to make it a nervy finale. But in the end, Guangzhou survived to take the deserved title.
"Obviously, winning this cup is very important for Chinese football. From our side, we grew a lot. What we have been trying to do is to increase our level so that we are able to compete on the international level with any other team." Guangzhou Evergrande’s head coach Marcelo Lippi said.
Across the Pearl River, underneath the southern city’s iconic Canton Tower, about a thousand Guangzhou fans clad in red jerseys shouted and cheered as they watched the game live on a big screen.
"I feel very satisfied. We witnessed Chinese history in the making. The last time we were so excited was 11 years ago, when China qualified for the World Cup and I also paraded on the street back then. Today we Chinese are very proud. We Chinese are the best. We Chinese are the champions." Guangzhou Evergrande fan Sun Baiyang said.
Guangzhou’s victory means they will be Asia’s representative at the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco next month. The team’s coach, Italian World Cup winner Marcello Lippi, also became the first coach to win both the European and Asian Champions League titles. In 2012, Lippi was hired to coach by Evergrande Corporation, and was given absolute authority over the team’s direction. Many believe Lippi’s extensive experience has helped elevate the club to the elite level.
"The professionalism at Evergrande has not only been pioneering in China, but in Asia as well. It’s on a par with European standards." Reporter Du Rui from Beijing Youth Daily said.
The victory has brought a breath of fresh air to Chinese soccer, which has long been plagued by institutional problems including an opaque and powerful football bureaucracy, corruption, lax oversight and poor management.