Shenhua seals derby 'grand slam'

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Shanghai Shenhua edged Shanghai East Asia 1-0 at Shanghai Stadium last night, completing a "grand slam" by winning all the four derby games this season. Colombian midfielder Giovanni Moreno scored the only goal.

The two sides barely created any chances until 30 minutes after kickoff, when Shenhua launched its first intensive attack with Moreno and Zhan Yilin continuously challenging East Asia from inside the box, only to be denied by goalkeeper Yan Junling.

Shenhua head coach Shen Xiangfu, who was back in the dugout after a three-game ban for referee remarks, kept gesturing to his players to push forward. His pleas were rewarded as Moreno broke the deadlock six minutes after the break. Facing four defenders, he sent a crisp shot into the lower corner of the goal.

East Asia’s foreign players wasted several opportunities to tie the game. Bernie Ibini-Isei’s shot hit the bar before being touched by Shenhua goalie Wang Dalei and Iban Cuadrado’s header from a corner was off-target. Wang, who made three crucial saves in the second half, was named player of the match.

“Coaches should take responsibility for losses,” East Asia coach Gao Hongbo commented. “We wasted so many chances today.”

His Shenhua counterpart was obviously happy with the result. “I want to thank my players for fighting hard, and also our supportive fans. The three points are very precious,” Shen said.

Shenhua has won all four matches against the two other local league teams this season, making it a derby grand slam. “We are a team with a rich history. Experience plays an important role in derby games,” Shen suggested.

Shenhua overtook East Asia on goal difference to lie eighth in the 16-team Chinese Super League table on 26 points. Shenhua started the season on -6 points due to a match-fixing scandal.

On Friday, Shanghai Shenxin took home its first victory in eight rounds, beating Guizhou Renhe 2-1, thanks to goals from Antonio Flavio and Zhu Jiawei.

With eight more rounds to go, Shenxin sits fourth from bottom on 22 points.

Today, Marcello Lippi-led Guangzhou Evergrande will take on Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Guangzhou R&F in a highlight match. It will be the first clash in China between the two world class coaches.

Defending champion Evergrande leads the standing on 57 points, 11 points more than Shandong Luneng, which beat Hangzhou Greentown 1-0 yesterday.

In other games last night, Liaoning Whowin beat host Qingdao Jonoon 1-0 while Wuhan Zall overcame Tianjin Teda by the same score.

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