Odion Ighalo struck twice as Shanghai Shenhua thrashed Beijing Renhe 5-1 on Sunday, a second straight Chinese Super League victory for Quique Sanchez Flores’ side.
Shenhua followed up last week’s victory over Henan Jianye with a comprehensive win in which they raced into a three-goal lead by the 35th minute thanks to efforts from Giovanni Moreno, Fredy Guarin and Ighalo.
Ighalo added Shenhua’s fourth midway through the second half with a cheeky back heel and Zhang Lu scored the fifth 10 minutes before the end, leaving Makhete Diop to net a consolation for Renhe with just four minutes remaining.
“We played well today, even though we didn’t do so well in the opening 15 minutes,” said Flores, who joined the club ahead of the current season.
“But after we scored the first goal the players’ confidence obviously improved and it’s a satisfying result.
“We are at the start of a process, with a new coach who is bringing new ideas and tactics. So this is a process of adjustment and I hope we will continue to improve until the end of the season.”
Victory moves Shenhua up to seventh in the standings on six points, six adrift of leading duo Beijing Guoan and Guangzhou Evergrande, who both have perfect records after the first four rounds of matches.
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