GUANGZHOU, Oct. 27 -- Thanks to Brazilian striker Pato's hat-trick, Tianjin Quanjian smashed Guangzhou R&F 6-2 in the Chinese Super League (CSL) here on Saturday, putting an end to their six-game winning drought.
Pato broke the deadlock in the 7th minute, firing from distance a powerful ball which hit the post and deflected into the back of the net. Four minutes later, Sun Ke added another from a narrow angle on the right side of the box. Tianjin led the first half 2-0.
R&F came back into form quickly in the second half as Eran Zahavi headed Tang Miao's fine cross home in the 55th minute. But only four minutes later, Sun Ke scored his second goal to expand the lead for Tianjin. Pato widened the gap in the 70th minute with a long-distance shot.
A penalty kick in the 79th minute kept Guangzhou R&F's hope alive, but only to see Pato complete his hat-trick with a wonderful lob after a solo run into the box. Yang Xu netted a penalty in the 89th minute to conclude the game 6-2. Enditem