Guangzhou reclaim Chinese title

Guangzhou Evergrande clinched an eighth Chinese Super League title in nine seasons as Fabio Cannavaro's side beat Shanghai Shenhua 3-0 on Sunday to reclaim the trophy 12 months after surrendering it to Shanghai SIPG.

Evergrande's run of seven straight titles came to end last season but goals from Wei Shihao, Park Ji-soo and Elkeson ensured the trophy returned to Tianhe Stadium as Guangzhou finished two points ahead of Beijing Guoan.

Wei put Guangzhou in front with a deft close-range finish three minutes into first-half stoppage time and Park doubled the advantage 10 minutes after the interval when he side-footed home.

Elkeson, who rejoined Guangzhou in the summer after a three-and-a-half year spell with SIPG, added the third seven minutes from fulltime when he burst into the penalty area following Paulinho's through ball to slot past Shenhua's Chen Zhao.

"Today everyone is united and being able to achieve this result is an affirmation of our efforts," said Guangzhou captain Zheng Zhi.

"We're very proud of this achievement.

"This victory is significant. The team has changed and everyone has paid a lot. The new and old players have helped each other to win this championship."

Guangzhou's victory comes despite a turbulent season for a club that has established itself as the dominant force in Chinese football.

Speculation over the future of Cannavaro has been constant since Evergrande were knocked out of the Asian Champions League in the semi-finals and doubts remain over whether the Italian will still be in the post next season.