Marcello Lippi was thrilled with the response of his Guangzhou Evergrande players as they progressed to the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League on Tuesday night.
The reigning ACL and Chinese Super League champions defeated Yokohama F. Marinos 2-1 in China to clinch top spot in Group G thanks to a double from Brazilian attacker Elkeson.
In the wake of the victory, Italian World Cup-winning coach Lippi spoke of admiration for his players after they had beaten Shanghai Shenhua in the domestic league just three days earlier.
"I'm very satisfied with today's performance. At the moment the team is not in the best shape, we have had problems and a list of injuries," said Lippi.
"But I'm happy with this game, and my players fought hard out there. Given the difficult circumstances of playing two games in three days, I have to praise my team for winning the game."
Guangzhou, who finished about South Korean club Jeonbuk Motors in their group, will now take on Japan's Cerezo Osaka in the Round of 16 to be played on May 6 in Japan and May 13 in Guangzhou.
