On the evening of February 26, the first round of F team of AFC Champions League (ACL) was held in Guangzhou Tianhe Stadium, and Guangzhou Evergrande Football Club, playing on its home court, defeated Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan, a famous Japanese football club and the champion of ACL, with 3:0, a maximum goal difference among goals made in historical contests between China and Japan with ACL history, which also made a good beginning for Evergrande in its second season playing in ACL. Such match also brought widely discussion to the mass, and almost a hundred of famous media such as Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, People’s Daily, Yomiuri Shimbun, and Asahi Shimbun reported such news.

Remembering the important instructions of “certainly win and fighting” raised by Hui Ka Yan, our Board Chairman, our players, led by the chief coach Lippi, performed wonderfully in the match, especially the foreign aids such as Muriqui, Barrios, Conca and national players such as Rong Hao, Zhang Linpeng, and Gao Lin, who really showed the spirit of Evergrande. In addition, this is also the second time for Evergrande to win a match in ACL, following the contest of last year with Jeonbuk Hyundai, champion of K League, where Evergrande defeated it on guest court with 5:1.

On the lantern Festival, two days before the above match, our Board Chairman Hui Ka Yan held a dining party for all players and extended his encouragement and best wishes. He said in the party that the team should be confident with triumph and should make the greatest efforts to play all matches in 2013 season, in order to gain honor for the team glory for Chinese football. 

Hui Ka Yan, Board Chairman of Evergrande (second from left at the front row) is accompanying with Wei Jixiang, new Party Secretary of Chinese Football Association (second from right at the front row) and Yu Hongchen, Vice Chairman of Chinese Football Association (first from right at the front row) to cheer for Evergrande

Fans are cheering for Evergrande

Wonderful moments of players