A double by striker Xie Hui put Shanghai Shenhua on the cusp of qualifying for the quarterfinals of the 2006 AFC Champions League as the Chinese side registered a comfortable 3-1 win over Dong Tam Long An of Vietnam on Wednesday.

Xie recovered from a recent knee injury to start the game against the Vietnamese champions but it was midfielder Wang Ke who gave the former Chinese league champions the lead in the ninth minute.

Ivan Jovanovic, Shenhua's new import from Serbia and Montenegro, sent over a cross that found Wang and he fired home with his right foot to give Shanghai the perfect start.

Jovanovic made the most of his pace to beat the offside trap in the 12th minute and had only the Vietnam goalkeeper to beat, but he surprised Dong Tam Long An's keeper Fabio dos Santos by passing the ball to Xie, who powered the ball into the net.

Shenhua kept up the pressure on the visitors and turned the match into a one-sided affair in the first half.

The visiting team's Nguyen Xuan Hoang and Nguyen Minh Phuong were booked as they tried in vain to stop Shenhua's offense, but the hosts were relentless as Xie's close-range header three minutes before the half flew just wide.

Dong Tam Long An's best chance in the opening half came when captain Bruno's free kick found Nguyen Ngoc Thanh unmarked, but he shot wide in the 30th minute.

Shenhua maintained their momentum at the beginning of second half and, in the 53rd minute, took advantage of their aerial superiority to go further in front.

From a corner, former Celtic defender Du Wei rose first to meet the ball, steering it on the head of Xie, who put it into the back of the net to expand Shanghai's lead to 3-0.

But the home team paid the price for being sloppy.

Antonio's solo play almost beat Shenhua's defence when Shanghai's Li Weifeng, who recently joined from Shenzhen, pushed the striker down. Li was sent off by South Korean referee Kim Dong-jin and Dong Tam Long An awarded a penalty, which Antonio converted.

The two teams will meet again in Vietnam on May 3, with the winner of the home-and-away series qualifying for the quarterfinals from Group G.

Source: Xinhua