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Wanderers score famous win in China

Western Sydney Wanderers recorded one of the great results in their short history with a 1-0 Asian Champions League away win over China’s Guizhou Renhe.

A 10th-minute close range tap in by striker Mark Bridge was enough to secure maximum points and a first ever ACL win for the A-League side.

It ended a club record of three-straight losses and left Wanderers with three points from their first two ACL games, after losing their opening fixture at home.

The result completed a good unbeaten round for the Australian clubs, with Central Coast winning and Melbourne Victory drawing.

A Wanderers side missing a number of key players left at home, including marquee midfielder Shinji Ono and goalkeeper Ante Covic, showed great defensive discipline and resolve.

They eliminated the defensive errors responsible for conceding eight goals across the three losses and totally vindicated the selection policy of coach Tony Popovic.

Guizhou had plenty of territory and possession and had far more shots, but rarely tested young goalkeeper Jerrad Tyson, who had to make just a couple of saves.

They created little in the first half and frequently bombed away from long range in the second, with their fullbacks each having a couple of shots.

Bridge pounced to score the only goal after the goalkeeper pushed out a Daniel Mullen header from a Shannon Cole corner.

Wanderers were denied a second goal a few minutes later, when Labinot Haliti netted a header, but had it scrubbed by a line-ball offside call.

White Guizhou played with greater urgency after the break, the Wanderers defence held firm and the visitors almost doubled their lead midway through the half.

The Guizhou goalkeeper opted not to play at a right wing cross from substitute Youssouf Hersi and an unmarked Cole at the far post, slid the ball tantalisingly across the six-yard box from an acute angle.

The result lifted Wanderers into joint second on the ladder with Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale, who lost 2-0 away to group leader Ulsan Hyundai in the other day two match.

Korean club Ulsan top the table by three points from Western Sydney and Kawasaki, who meet at Parramatta Stadium next Wednesday.

-AAP

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