SYDNEY — Defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande crashed out of the AFC Champions League after group rivals Sydney FC and Urawa Red Diamonds played out a goalless draw Wednesday.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Chinese giant won its first game a day earlier but it proved futile as a point each secured the top two spots for Sydney and Urawa with one match to spare.
Sydney reached the last 16 for the first time alongside Urawa, while Chinese domestic champion Evergrande is left licking its wounds after its earliest exit from the competition.
Evergrande won its second Asian title in three seasons last year and it spent heavily in the off-season, buying striker Jackson Martinez from Atletico Madrid for 42 million euros (about $48 million).
But it will now have to watch as Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Shanghai SIPG — featuring former Evergrande stars Elkeson and Dario Conca — lead the Chinese charge in the knockout stages.
In a tense game of few chances, Tadanari Lee and Christopher Naumoff both had sight of goal in the first half before Shinzo Koroki nearly put Urawa in front in the 78th minute.
Koroki ran onto a slick backheel from Lee but his low shot was brilliantly saved by Sydney goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic to ensure the game finished 0-0.
Evergrande could still match Urawa’s points tally with victory at home against Sydney next week, but it loses out because of its inferior head-to-head record with the Japanese club.
Brazilian playmaker Alex Teixeira played his part in all three goals as Jiangsu Suning edged closer to the round of 16 from Group E with a 3-0 win over Vietnamese champion Binh Duong.
Xu Xi scored the first goal in the sixth minute and Jo doubled the lead within the next two minutes. Substitute Ji Xiang added the third with 10 minutes to go.
FC Seoul defeated Buriram United 2-1 for its fourth victory in Group F, while Jeonbuk Motors went to the top of Group E with a 3-0 win over FC Tokyo. Shandong Luneng of China, meanwhile, edged Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0.
Deila to step down
as Celtic manager
Ronny Deila will step down as manager of Scottish giant Celtic at the end of the season, the Norwegian announced Wednesday.
Celtic is currently eight points clear of Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership and on course for a fifth successive title, but Deila’s position has been under scrutiny for some time.
Celtic has made little progress in Europe under the 40-year-old and was knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Old Firm rivals Rangers following a semi-final penalty shootout defeat Sunday.
“It is vital that the club comes first, instead of me being the focus,” Deila said in a statement on the Celtic website. “Hopefully now the team and the club can be the focus as we enter this final important period of the season.
“It was an absolute privilege to be named manager of Celtic, such a wonderful football club, and I have enjoyed my time here immensely.”
Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon, who left the club in 2014, and former Everton and Manchester United manager David Moyes, who previously played for Celtic, are among the contenders touted to succeed Deila. — Agencies
