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Jiangsu Suning's Alex Teixeira celebrates during the Chinese Super League football between Jiangsu Suning and Shandong Luneng  on March 5, 2016 in Nanjing. / AFP / STR        (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)
Jiangsu Suning's Alex Teixeira celebrates during the Chinese Super League football between Jiangsu Suning and Shandong Luneng on March 5, 2016 in Nanjing. / AFP / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)STR/Getty Images

No Chinese Players Scored in Opening Weekend of Chinese Super League

Joe GallagherMar 7, 2016

There were 16 goals in total as the Chinese Super League kicked off this weekend with a seven-game schedule.

And yet not one of the goals scored in the opening weekend of the cash-rich leagueโ€”which has come to the attention of the footballing world thanks to an exodus of big-name players from Europeโ€”was scored by a Chinese player.

Oneย sharp-eyedย redditorย noticed that goals had flown in from South Korea, Bolivia, Brazil and Sweden, but not China.

They include strikes by Australian Tim Cahill, Arsenal flop Gervinho, former Chelsea players Demba Ba and Ramires and a double from Liverpool's January transfer target Alex Teixeira:

Of course, it's not the most surprising of statistics (in comparison, only seven out of 27 Premier League goals scored this weekend were by Englishmen, and one was an own goal), but given that all five players who were sent off in the CSL's opening weekend were Chinese, it's an interesting contrast.

Chinese Super League Goalscorers This Weekend:

  • Ersan Gulum (one goal, one own goal) - Turkey
  • Gervinho - Ivory Coast
  • Osmanย Sow - Sweden
  • Ha Tae-kyun - South Korea
  • Demba Ba - Senegal
  • Ramires - Brazil
  • Alex Teixeira (two goals) - Brazil
  • Fernandinho (two goals) - Brazil
  • Jackson Martinez - Colombia
  • Assani Lukimya-Mulongoti - Congo
  • Po-Liang Chen - Taiwan
  • Tim Cahill - Australia
  • Marcelo Moreno - Bolivia

[h/t Reddit]