Megabucks Jiangsu flop in Asian opener

Megabucks Chinese side Jiangsu Suning were expensive flops in their AFC Champions League opener when their newly assembled, star-studded line-up was held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Vietnamese outfit Binh Duong on Tuesday.

Brazilians Ramires and Alex Teixeira, who consecutively smashed the Chinese transfer record this month, and ex-Manchester City striker Jo all failed to find the net in an inauspicious competitive debut.

Dan Petrescu's new-look team benefited from Christian Amougou's dismissal in the 67th minute for diving, his second bookable offence, but still failed to break the defiant home side.

Elsewhere on the first night of competition, China's Shandong Luneng, led by ex-Brazil coach Mano Menezes, beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-1 away and FC Seoul thumped Thailand's Buriram United 6-0.

In Vietnam's Thu Dau Mot city, Jiangsu's night started encouragingly when Xiang Ji put them 1-0 up on 13 minutes, only for Anh Duc to level from the penalty spot near the half-hour.

After half-time Teixeira, a 50 million-euros ($56 million) signing from Shakhtar Donetsk, showed his trickery and vision as he set up Zhang Xinlin and Jo for gilt-edged chances which were both smothered by goalkeeper Bui Tan Truong.

Ex-Chelsea midfielder Ramires also swept a long-range free-kick wide in what was a frustrating night for Petrescu, another former player for the London club.

While Jiangsu's Brazilians left their scoring boots at home, their compatriot Adriano hammered four past Buriram United as FC Seoul began their campaign in emphatic style.

Adriano's quadruple either side of half-time left him alone on the scoresheet until Dejan Damjanovic and Lee Seok-Hyun weighed in to complete the rout in Buriram.

Meanwhile, evergreen South Korean striker Lee Dong-Gook got the vital second goal for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors as the 2006 winners started with a 2-1 victory over FC Tokyo.

Luiz Felipe Scolari's defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande, who have splashed the cash on Colombian striker Jackson Martinez, get underway on Wednesday when they play South Korea's Pohang Steelers.

Meanwhile in West Asia, Qatari champions Lekhwiya crashed to a 1-0 defeat to Zob Ahan of Iran in their Group B clash with striker Mehdi Rajabzadeh scoring the only goal of the match in the 46th minute in Doha.

Another Iranian side, Foolad Sepahan, also notched an opening win, beating Al Nasr of the United Arab Emirates 2-0.

Brazilian Luciano Chimba put Sepahan ahead in the 14th minute and then found the target again in the 51st to help his team open their account with three points.

Saudi side Al Nassr, however, survived a scare and were lucky to get away with a 3-3 draw after being 2-0 down against Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor.

Dostonbek Khamdamov and Chaker Zouaghi had given the Uzbeks a 2-0 cushion by the 33rd minute, but Pole Adrian Mierzejewski pulled one back in first-half added time to give his team a fighting chance.

Khamdamov, however, scored his second goal in the 75th minute as Bunyodkor led 3-1, but late goals from Yehya al-Shehri and Hussein Abdul Ghani helped the Saudis escape defeat at home.
Source :AFP