Middling club Guangzhou R&F FC managed to edge out fellow lowly squad Chongqing Lifan FC, 5-4, in a high-scoring 2016 Chinese Super League season encounter held at the Chongqing Olympic Sports Center on Sunday.

Local striker Xiao Zhi was the best player of the game as the 31-year-old Henan native scored a brace and gave out one assist to help lead Guangzhou R&F to bounce back from their three-game winless skid.

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An own goal from Chongqing Lifan's newly-acquired Brazilian import Alan Kardec started the scoring at the eighth minute of the almost defenseless match, as per Cri English, before the team netted two goals for their side, courtesy of midfielder Wu Qing and Brazilian forward Fernandinho at the 15th and 42nd minutes. The assists came from Wang Dong and South Korean import Jung Woo-young respectively.

With the two-goal first half onslaught, the host team was able to capture the lead at the halftime break, 2-1, via Soccerway.

However, the Blue Lions came back and scored two goals of their own in the first ten minutes of the second half with Xiao netting his first goal of the night at the 48th and then assisting to Israeli striker Eran Zahavi seven minutes later, taking the lead, 3-2.

Midfielder Ding Jie found the equalizer a minute before the hour mark off Wang's second assist of the game to keep things close, but Xiao grabbed the lead back again for Guangzhou with his second goal at the 71st.

Kardec redeemed himself from his earlier blunder by leveling the score once more to 4-4 two minutes after Xiao's brace off an assist from defender Tan Wangsong.

The game's last goal came from Guangzhou's substitute defender Chen Zhizhao, who netted the winner three minutes before full time after subbing in for Zhang Yaokun in the second half.

The Blue Lions are currently at the sixth spot of the league table with 32 points, only one point above seventh-place team Henan Jianye and eight points below the third and final AFC Champions League berth temporarily held by the streaking Shanghai Greenland Shenhua at the moment.

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League news, Guangzhou R&F FC, Chongqing Lifan FC