Ighalo Faces Goal Drought as Changchun Yatai Suffers 5-0 Defeat to Guangzhou Evergrande

In a challenging fixture in the Chinese Super League, Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo encountered his second consecutive goalless outing for Changchun Yatai, enduring a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Guangzhou Evergrande on Saturday. This loss marked Changchun Yatai’s first league defeat of the season, following their 1-1 draw against Shanghai Shenhua in the opening fixture last week.

Ighalo, who is part of the 28 players called up for Nigeria’s World Cup friendlies against Poland and Serbia later this month, struggled to find the net against a formidable Guangzhou Evergrande side. Gao opened the scoring for the hosts in the 34th minute, setting the tone for a dominant performance. Ricardo Goulart doubled the lead on the hour mark, contributing to a commanding 3-0 advantage. Alan sealed the victory with a late brace in the 79th and 84th minutes.

On the other side of the Chinese Super League spectrum, Shanghai Shenhua’s Nigerian striker, Obafemi Martins, was notably absent from the derby clash against Shanghai SIPG at the Hongkou Stadium. This marks the second consecutive game that Martins has missed. Unfortunately, Shanghai Shenhua couldn’t secure a positive result, succumbing to a 2-0 defeat with goals from Hulk and Wengue Lue in each half securing the victory for Shanghai SIPG.

As the Chinese Super League season unfolds, both Ighalo and Martins look to regroup and make impactful contributions for their respective teams in the upcoming fixtures.