Chinese super league powerhouse Shanghai Shenhua made a morale-boosting win over Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 3-0 in the first match of A3 Champions Cup in Jinan on Thursday.

Just 10 minutes after the match, Shanghai Shenhua's forward Hamilton Ricard scored the opening goal. Shenhua could have won more in the first half as Wang Ke and Alongso both got chances.

In the second half, Shenhua performed more aggressively as they made more shoots. In the 62nd minute, Xie Hui delivered the ball to Li Gang, who made a clear shot to make it double. Alonso Lopez Diego Martin scored the third after ten minutes.

At the end of the match, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma players frequently laid siege to Shenhua, but their efforts did not pay off because Shenhua's goalkeeper Wang Dalei made several perfect saves and Shenhua made good defenses.

"The match is much harder than I predicted since the weather's so hot", said Gimenez Toledo Wison Osvaldo, coach of Shanghai Shenhua. "But we played well. Winning this match is very important."

Shenhua's triumph is a sweet revenge for their compatriot Shandong Luneng as they just lost to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 3-0 in the group match of AFC Champions League last month.

(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2007)