China's Shandong Luneng defied a hostile crowd to beat Japanese club Sagan Tosu 3-1 and win Hong Kong's Lunar New Year Cup on Thursday in a match dominated by foreign imports. Shandong took the field without injured star recruit Marouane Fellaini, who signed from Manchester United last week, but Brazilian centre-back Gil put the Chinese side ahead in the second minute from a corner.
His team sat deep for the rest of the first half, with Sagan Tosu's World Cup-winning striker Fernando Torres noticeably off the pace. Graziano Pelle, formerly of Premier League side Southampton, notched Shandong's second goal soon after play resumed, but Torres managed a header in reply.
The Spanish forward picked up a yellow card moments later after a spat with a referee. Flamboyant Shandong goalkeeper Wang Dalei shook off crowd abuse to block Torres' next attempt to equalise before Portugal's Pedro Delgado scored Shandong's third with 10 minutes to go.