Evergrande cashing in on chemistry

Super League giant blends import star power with homegrown talent

Inmost cases, money talks.

In the case of Guangzhou Evergrande, money also does the scoring.

Ricardo Goulart, the Chinese Super League's most expensive player, has single-handedly led China's most expensive - or should we say most generously rewarded - club into the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League.

The $22 million signing from Brazil scored a penalty and added a header in a make-or-break match against Seongnam of South Korea last week in Guangzhou to secure Evergrande's fourth consecutive appearance in the quarterfinal stage despite losing 2-1 in Seongnam a week earlier.

Brazilian forward Goulart has been an all-around marvel since signing in January, with a killer instinct in front of the goal. His performances are feats no other forward in the league, or in Asia, can pull off. He is leading the Champions League with eight goals and is second on the Chinese Super League scoring list with nine.

In early January, Goulart was linked to a move from Cruzeiro to either China or Mexico. On Jan 13 he signed a four-year deal with Evergrande worth $22 million - the highest transfer fee paid by a Chinese club.

He made his debut against Shandong Luneng in the Chinese Super Cup, which Guangzhou lost on penalties. He scored his first goal for Evergrande in an AFC Champions League match against FC Seoul, then notched a hat-trick in the same competition against the defending champion Western Sydney Wanderers.

"Goulart is undoubtedly a great talent. As an individual player and as a team player, he is helping us significantly," said Italian World Cup winning captain and Evergrande manager Fabio Cannavaro.

The team's progress is a fitting reward for Evergrande boss Xu Jiayin, who treated the players and coaching staff to an expensive banquet days before the crucial match and told the players to fight to the last minute. Xu also promised 19 million yuan in bonus money if the team advanced.

A Korean jinx has haunted China's soccer for decades and, with the win, Evergrande became the first Chinese club to eliminate a Korean club in the Champions League. It was especially significant after another South Korea club, 2006 winner Jeonbuk, earned a return to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011 after beating Beijing Guo'an 1-0 to seal a 2-1win on aggregate.

Cannavaro knows why.

"Two years ago we were the Asian champions and we have rich experiences from that. Despite the personnel changes, what made us really strong is still there-the spirit of the team," the manager said after the win.

"In difficult times we can call upon that spirit and unity and still be the best team in China."

The victory also provides breathing space for Cannavaro to concentrate on the domestic league. The Champions League quarterfinals kick off on Aug 25.

A loss to Seongnam might have signaled an end to Cannavaro's tenure at Evergrande. But after silencing his critics, the Italian's next job is to upgrade the team's strategies and skills.

It would be misleading to say Goulart did the job alone against the Koreans as he received a lot of help from his Chinese teammates. Beijing Guo'an has Montenegrin Dejan Damjanovi, Croat Darko Mati, Argentine Pablo Batalla and Swede Erton Fej-zullahu and was playing on its home pitch.

Evergrande has only one Goulart and 10 Chinese players. Its victory highlighted its depth of local talent. Fans in Beijing and Shanghai might attribute much of Evergrande's success to foreign imports, but the quality of its home-grown players has also improved dramatically. If the national team members represent the nation's best, Evergrande boasts eight of them.

On Sunday, the team again showed its class by beating Guizhou Renhe 3-0 to move into a tie for first with Shandong. The bad news is that Goulart will sit out the next match after receiving four consecutive yellow cards. With its three other foreign imports sidelined due to injuries, Evergrande will have an opportunity to further show-case the talent of its home-grown players.

It is the chemistry between the foreign and Chinese players that makes Evergrande the best in China. The team is shouldering the nation's hopes in the quarterfinals against either Guo'an conqueror Jeonbuk, or Japanese clubs Kashiwa Reysol or Gamba in the East Asia final four.

Al Hilal along with Qatar's Lekhwiya, Emirati club Al Ahli, and Iranian debutant Naft Tehran in the West Asia half complete the quarterfinal lineup.

The quarterfinal draw is on June 18. The quarterfinal, first-leg matches will be Aug 25-26, with the second leg games on Sept 15-16.

Semifinal matches are set for Sept 29-30 and Oct 20-21, with the two-leg final on Nov 7 and 21.

The winner qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup from Dec 10-20 in Japan.

yangxinwei@chinadaily.com.cn