Business as usual for Brazilian bunch

Talisca, Paulinho goals underline importance of CSL's foreign stars

From Pele to Ronaldo to Neymar, Brazilian players have been synonymous with excellence through the decades.

Now, a new wave of samba soccer stars are thrilling fans in China, with Guangzhou Evergrande duo Anderson Talisca and Paulinho on Tuesday turning on the Latin flair to pick up from where they left off last season.

The pair's first-half strikes earned Evergrande a 2-0 victory over Japan's Sanfrecce Hiroshima as the Chinese side got its AFC Champions League Group F campaign off to a flying start in Guangdong province.

In total, 21 Brazilians now ply their trade in 11 teams in the Chinese Super League.

Three of those－Oscar, Hulk and Elkeson－played vital roles in Shanghai SIPG's maiden CSL title triumph last season, contributing 32 goals and 34 assists as SIPG ended Evergrande's seven-year stranglehold on the championship.

Their creativity in midfield was also a major factor in striker Wu Lei's goal rush. The China international netted 27 times last term to catch the eye of Spanish side Espanyol, where, after a January transfer, the 27-year-old is proving he belongs in one of the world's best leagues.

Wu credited the supply line from former Chelsea ace Oscar as being crucial to his haul.

"Oscar always passed great balls to me as he could always find opportunities. Without Oscar, I could not score that much," said Wu, who last weekend became the first Chinese to score in La Liga in a 3-1 triumph over Real Valladolid.

After Wu's exit, SIPG will require even more spark from its Brazilians if it hopes to retain the crown.

Meanwhile, Evergrande, powered by midfield maestros Paulinho and Talisca, on Tuesday signaled its intent to wrest the league title back.

Last season, Talisca took the CSL by storm, bagging 16 goals in just 18 appearances after joining on loan from Benfica.

Paulinho was also in prolific form, hitting the net 13 times in 19 league games after returning for a second stint at the club in a loan deal from Barcelona.

Both players have since made those moves permanent, but their long-term futures at the Guangdong province club remain uncertain because of Evergrande's stated aim of fielding an all-Chinese side by 2020.

Whether or not the club stays true to that pledge remains to be seen, however it has already begun trimming its Brazilian contingent－loaning Ricardo Goulart, who scored 135 goals in three seasons for Evergrande, to Brazil's Palmeiras, and offloading Alan Carvalho, who scored 13 times last term, to Tianjin Tianhai.

Despite a new CSL salary cap and spending limits on foreign transfers, Chinese clubs continued to attract top talent from abroad in the offseason.

One of the biggest coups was Shandong Luneng's capture of Belgium international Marouane Fellaini from Manchester United.

The arrival of the towering 31-year-old midfielder has the Jinan-based club dreaming of big things in both the CSL and AFC Champions League.

"When Fellaini does more training with the whole team, I am sure there will be chemistry," said Shandong's head coach, Li Xiaopeng.

Guangzhou R&F has signed Fellaini's classy compatriot Mousa Dembele from Tottenham Hotspur, where only injuries stifled the brilliance of a player dubbed a "football genius" by Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Dalian Yifang acquired a midfielder of arguably even finer caliber in Slovakia international Marek Hamsik.

The 31-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers in Italy's Serie A in recent seasons, outstripping the great Diego Maradona as Napoli's record scorer with 121 goals.