Surging team Shanghai Greenland Shenhua FC crushed middling squad Guangzhou R&F FC, 5-1, in a 2016 Chinese Super League season encounter at their home field of Hongkou Stadium on Sunday, May 15.

Striker Lü Zheng started the scoring for head coach Gregorio Manzano's side five minutes after the kickoff. His goal was the first goal of any local player of the team in this term and it came in the ninth round of competitions, as per Soccerway.

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The Blue Lions were able to respond quickly as forward Xiao Zhi equalized the game at the 11th with a brilliant individual move against Shanghai goalkeeper Li Shuai. The score remained in a 1-1 draw until they reached the halftime break.

It was all Greenland Shenhua from the restart, though, as the hosts unleashed four goals in the second half of the match.

Team captain Giovanni Moreno led the second half onslaught with a one-on-one goal against Guangzhou keeper Cheng Yuelei at the 66th minute. It was followed by a strike from winger Cao Yunding off an assist by Colombian midfielder Fredy Guarin ten minutes later to give his team a commanding 3-1 lead.

Two quick goals late in the match, at the 84th and 86th minutes courtesy of the club's two other internationals Senegalese Demba Ba and Nigerian Obafemi Martins, completed the five-goal haul of Manzano's boys in the contest. It was also the first goal of the season for Martins who just joined the team in January from MLS squad Seattle Sounders.

It was the third win of the season for the Flower of Shanghai and also their seventh unbeaten performance in the first nine rounds as they climbed to the sixth spot of the China top flight table, Xinhuanet reported.

Shenhua overtook Tianjin Teda for the spot although they are tied on points because of the team's superior goal difference of +5 over the Tianjin Tigers' -1. They also passed ahead of Guangzhou R&F by two points with the lopsided victory.

Meanwhile, manager Dragan Stojković's side fell to the eight spot of the overall standings after their three-game unbeaten run was put to a halt by Shenhua. They are sitting in the middle of the standings at the moment, only three points above the bottom two relegation area, as there is a logjam in the bottom half of the league table.

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League 2016, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua FC, Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC