Shanghai Shenhua trounce Urawa Red Diamonds 3-1 in A3 Champi

Shenhua's victory ensured the two teams from China in the Cup to earn a one-two finish since both Urawa Red Diamonds and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma lost two matches and had no chance to compete for the champion.

If Shandong Luneng from China loses to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma from South Korea in their next match, Shenhua will be the champion.

Just 10 minutes into the game, Hamilton Ricard made a timely¹ shot on Blanco Soto Sergio Rugen's pass at the goalmouth to gift Shanghai Shenhuaa 1-0 lead.

Shenhua performed more aggressively after their first goal while Red Diamonds' defense² was under great pressure. In the 30th minute, Chang Lin lifted Shenhua to 2-0 lead and eight minutes later, Li Gang³ helped the Shanghai team enjoy a 3-0 lead in the first half with a long-range powerful shot.

After the interval⁴, Marcus Tulio Lyuji Murzani narrowed the gapto 3-1 with a header in the 58th minute. He headed home a corner kick from Ponte Robson.

"We performed very well in the match," said Gimenez Toledo Wison Osvaldo, coach of Shanghai Shenhua.

"It's a tough match. We played well in the first half, and in the second, our players withstood⁵ the pressure. Ricard is a good player, and he showed his talent in the match." Osvaldo added.