No since the day when the A.S.F. trounced Tung Hwa by 8-1 five years ago has Chinese soccer been humbled to compare with yesterday morning's debacle when an inspired Portuguese eleven swamped their rivals by nine goals to one before a capacity crowd of about 15,000 amazed spectators. It was indeed a glorious day for the Cup-holders, whose superb combination, brilliant forward line and matchless speed outclassed the Chinese in a manner that has not been witnessed in a major Shanghai.competition for many a year.
The Portuguese were favoured to win when it became known that last "Week's three telling absentees—Vasco Souza, Louie Oliveira and Bobby Favacho—would be available yesterday, but not even their most ardent supporter would have presumed that the victory would be achieved in so magnificent a fashion. The Chinese did not collapse—as the score might indicate—they were outrun, outplayed and outclassed in every department of the game and the Portuguese scored at will throughout the match.
It was the perfect combination of the Portuguese forwards, combined with the deadly accuracy of Vasco Souza, that cut through the Chinese defence time and again in copy-book style. Souza at inside-left was a veritable wizard; he created opening after opening for the attack while the three goals he scored were individual efforts in which he dribbled through the Chinese rear zone single-handed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.