China striker Hao Haidong scored a hat trick to highlight Dalian Shide’s 3-2 win over Seongnam Ilhwa, helping the Chinese League champion collect its first win in the four-team A3 Mazda Champions Cup on Wednesday at Tokyo’s National Stadium.
J. League champion Jubilo Iwata and the Kashima Antlers, winners of the Nabisco Cup, were to face off later in the day at the same venue.
Yugoslav forward Sasa Drakulic put Seongnam ahead in the 17th minute after chesting down a Dalian clearance to skillfully send a strike home from close range.
But 10 minutes later, Hao reacted well to a middle-range blast from Zhang Ya Lin at the edge of the box to slightly change the direction of the ball and score the equalizer.
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