SYDNEY, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China's Shanghai Shenhua kept Sydney F.C. scoreless on their trip down under to the Allianz stadium on Tuesday evening, holding the Australian domestic champions to a nail-biting 0-0 draw.
Although the Sydneysiders dominated the ball in the first half of the Asian Champions League contest with a whopping 67 percent possession, the 'Sky-Blues' were unable to convert their chances in front of goal. Only two of their eight shots were meant for the back of the net.
In the opening minutes Sydney F.C.'s Brazilian import Deyvison Rogerio Da Silva (known as Bobo), who has been a lethal striker in Australia's domestic league, missed what seemed to be a certain chance after getting on the end of a long ball.
As the match went on, the frustration for local fans continued as the home side bungled even more chances in front of goal.
When the second half got underway it was a similar story with Sydney squandering chance after chance as Shanghai Shenhua fought tirelessly to shut the home side out.
That frustration boiled over in stoppage time when Sydney's Ben Warland appeared to kick Shanghai Shenhua's goalkeeper Qiu Shengjiong.
As a result, a fiery melee broke out, and a gripping match was marred by ugly scenes.
"This was a very difficult match for us against a very strong opponent," Shanghai Shenhua head coach Wu Jingui told Xinhua after the match. "The best way to play a great team like Sydney is to play them hard. So I am very proud of the players for giving their best, especially in defense."
On Wednesday, there will be another Chinese team in action in Australia when Shanghai SIPG battle it out with the Melbourne Victory in a Group F showdown.
Although Sydney F.C, Melbourne Victory and Shanghai Shenhua will now exit the tournament, Shanghai SIPG are guaranteed to progress to the round of 16 with a win securing them top spot in the group.
