Guangzhou eliminated on away goals rule by Western Sydney

Defending Asian league champions Guangzhou Evergrande failed to advance to the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League on Wednesday, losing 2-2 on aggregate via the away goals rule to the Western Sydney Wanderers.

Despite the fact that Guangzhou Evergrande won the match at Tianhe Stadium, 2-1, the Australian team moved on to the semifinals due to the away goals rule.

When soccer teams play each other twice, usually with one match at each team's home grounds, the team that has scored more goals away from home wins if scores are otherwise tied.

The first leg of the quarterfinal between Guangzhou Evergrande and Western Sydney was played on August 20 at Parramatta Stadium in Australia, with Western Sydney winning 1-0.

Guangzhou head coach Marcello Lippi was given a one-game suspension for the second leg of the quarterfinals at Tianhe stadium for what the AFC called "unsportsmanlike conduct".

During the first leg of the matchup between Guangzhou and Western Sydney last week, Lippi entered the playing field to argue a call late in the match. On Sunday, the AFC handed down the penalty for his behavior toward officials.

Despite being knocked out of the Champions League, Guangzhou assistant coach Massimiliano Maddaloni said supporters should not feel disappointed because the team improved tremendously over the last two seasons.

"We are sorry to see the result," he said. "You can't expect to win all of the games but we are proud to see that the team has improved a lot."

The Guangzhou side was able to create some good scoring chances, but Brazilian striker Elkeson's failure to convert on a penalty kick in the first half made the game more difficult for the home team.

Tony Popovic, head coach of Western Sydney Wanderers, said advancing to the semifinal made the team and it supporters proud.

"Defeating the defending champions makes us extremely happy. I am proud to be head coach of the team," he said.