CHANGCHUN, Northeast China, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The scandal-hit Chinese soccer roared like a lion on Tuesday as Chinese Super League runners-up Changchun Yatai whitewashed Indonesian champions Persik Kediri 9-0 at home in the AFC Champions League Group F second round clash.
Furthermore, the 2009 Chinese Super League champions Beijing Guoan hammered Japanese J-League runners-up Kawasaki Frontale 3-1 in Japan on the same day, breaking the jinx of no road win for Chinese clubs against Japanese sides in the AFC Champions League.
The unbelievable wins raised fans' hope for the revival of the Chinese soccer which had been going downward in recent years with the national team's poor performances in the Olympic Games, World Cup qualifications and AFC Asian Cup, and the match-fixing scandals in domestic leagues.
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| Gao Jian of China's Changchun Yatai celebrates his goal during the second round match of Group F against Indonesia's Persipura Jayapura at the 2010 AFC Champions League in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, March 9, 2010. Changchun Yatai won 9-0. |
In Changchun today, Yatai's new star Gao Jian, who used to be a bench player, contributed a hattrick to the 9-0 win. He was so excited while scoring for the third time that he took a cap from a nearby ball boy and wore it for a moment to celebrate his hattrick.
I feel so excited. No matter how many goals I have made, I am happy as long as Yatai wins, Gao said. We must survive the group to win honor for China.