XI'AN, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Debutant Anderson Talisca scored a superb hat-trick and claimed an assist as Guangzhou Evergrande thrashed Guizhou Hengfeng 4-0 in round 12 of the 2018 Chinese Super League (CSL) on Wednesday.
The win takes champions Evergrande up to fourth in the standings with 21 points, four behind new leaders Beijing Guoan. The Guangzhou side are chasing their eighth successive CSL title, and in June signed Talisca on a six-month loan from Portuguese side Benfica.
The 24-year-old Brazilian immediately endeared himself to the Guangzhou fans, laying on a goal for Gao Lin in just the seventh minute. 21 minutes later, Talisca scored his debut goal for Evergrande with a header from Yu Hanchao's corner.
In the 62nd minute, Talisca added his second and Evergrande's third with a long-range effort after collecting Gao Lin's pass. And the Brazilian completed his debut hat-trick with a free-kick in the 78th minute, sending the Guangzhou fans into raptures.
Elsewhere in the CSL, Beijing Guoan leapfrogged Shanghai SIPG and Shandong Luneng to lead the 2018 standings for the first time after a 2-1 victory against Henan Jianye. Cedric Bakambu put Guoan ahead in the 32nd minute, before Feng Zhouyi equalized for Henan 29 minutes later. But Jonathan Viera was the hero for Roger Schmidt's side, providing the winning goal in the 86th minute.
In the other CSL games played on Wednesday, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua edged Tianjin Teda 1-0, while Dalian Yifang and Hebei China Fortune played out a 0-0 draw. Enditem
