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Guangzhou Evergrande striker Ricardo Goulart showed just why he’s worth his record-breaking price tag, scoring a hat-trick to inflict a 3-2 defeat on title holders Western Sydney in their Asian Champions League clash.
The 23-year-old new Guangzhou recruit, who in January became the first player in China Super League history to exceed a transfer fee of $20 million for his four-year deal, scored the winner in Guangzhou’s opening ACL match against FC Seoul last week and was their saviour again on Wednesday night.
Iacopo La Rocca and Romeo Castalen clawed two goals back at Parramatta Stadium for the Wanderers, who were unable to back up the 3-1 triumph of their campaign opener against Kashima Antlers last week.
After leaving goalkeeper Ante Covic, La Rocca and Brendan Hamill behind in their clash in Japan last week, coach Tony Popovic started all three on Wednesday night.
Assistant coach Ian Crook took the helm again with Popovic watching from the stands as he serves his two-game suspension for his role in the on-field altercation during the explosive quarter-final against Guangzhou Evergrande last year.
In a surging counter-attack the Wanderers had the first chance of the match with Nikita Rukavytsya putting Guangzhou keeper Zeng Cheng to work with only five minutes on the clock.
But it wasn’t long before the Wanderers paid the price for poor defending when the ball fell to a totally unmarked Goulart, the Brazilian slamming it home for the 1-0 lead in the 19th minute.
The hosts would find the equaliser in the 58th minute with La Rocca climbing high to head home.
But just like that Guangzhou were in front again a minute later when Gao set up Goulart for the easy tap in.
The dangerous duo combined yet again moments later with Goulart scoring his third for the night, to put the visitors 3-1 up in the 64th minute.
The Wanderers thought they’d clawed one back four minutes later when Matthew Spiranovic headed home off a Yojiro Takahagi free-kick, only to be ruled offside.
Play was suspended for close to 14 minutes when Guangzhou keeper Zeng Cheng had a nasty collision with one of his defenders and needed to be stretchered off with a suspected broken cheekbone and replaced by Li Shuai.
The break resulted in an astonishing 17 minutes of extra time.
With the clock winding down new Wanderers recruit Kerem Bulut, who scored a brace in Western Sydney’s opening win, was brought on.
But it was substitute Castalen who would get one back for the hosts in extra time, taking advantage of the new keeper.
Bulut threatened in the final stages but it was too little too late.
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