Arnautovic was in a shooting mood at the start of the Super League
Marko Arnautovic started the new season of the Chinese Football Super League with great success with Shanghai Port. The Viennese scored three goals in the 6-1 (3-0) against the Tianjin Tigers on Thursday. For Austria's team striker, it was the first competitive game since the Nations League game with the national team against Norway on November 18. China's league had delayed its start of the season for a long time due to the corona pandemic.
Arnautovic headed a cross from Brazilian ex-team player Oscar in the 26th minute to give his team the lead. The striker, who had been 32 for a few days, followed suit shortly after the restart when he heaved the ball into the mesh after a defensive error (49th). Eight minutes later, after another submission from Oscar, Arnautovic again escaped the opponent's defense and completed his hat-trick (57th). In the 78th minute it was finally replaced.
Shanghai is now being trained by Croatian Ivan Leko. The southern Chinese – who previously competed as Shanghai SIPG – had to rename themselves like many other competitors because the Chinese football association had forbidden the clubs to continue to use company names in their names. In China, the championship will initially be played in two groups in Suzhou near Shanghai and Guangzhou. The teams are accommodated in hotels. Spectators are partially allowed in the stadiums.
