Melbourne: Despite coming off the bench to play in his maiden AFC Champions League match, Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder Yan Dinghao had a bittersweet introduction to the Continental competition after a 1-1 draw with Melbourne Victory on Wednesday.
Travelling more than 7,500 kilometres to make your tournament debut is a clear illustration of the sheer scope and scale of Asian football's most prestigious club competition.
But it was a journey that 21-year-old Yan Dinghao was happy to embark upon, even if the south China side was not able to secure all three points in Australia.
"It was a nine-hour journey from Guangzhou to Melbourne so naturally it took some toll on our physical conditions in some way," said the Guangzhou number 15, who is currently on loan from Portugal's Gondomar SC.
"And despite working really hard to prepare ourselves for this big game, I do feel some regret that we couldn’t come away with all three points."
Earlier this month, Yan made his debut in China's domestic championship against city rivals Guangzhou R&F, although the former China U-21 international admitted there was no comparison between the national league and playing on the Continental level.
FULL-TIME | Melbourne Victory (AUS) 1-1 Guangzhou Evergrande FC (CHN)
@gomvfc finally pick up their 1st point in Group F! Denying @fabiocannavaro ’s Guangzhou an away win! #MELvGUA #ACL2019 pic.twitter.com/3HLAsZR9RN— AFC Champions League (@TheAFCCL) April 23, 2019
"The Chinese Super League and the AFC Champions League are two totally different types of competitions," he said.
"I’m delighted to have made my AFC Champions League debut, of course, but at the same time disappointed that we couldn’t get the ideal result from the game."
The 1-1 draw sees Guangzhou in second place in Group F, two points behind front-runners Sanfrecce Hiroshima whom they will face in Japan on Matchday Five.
Group F: Melbourne Victory vs Guangzhou Evergrande FC
A positive result in Hiroshima would see the two-time AFC Champions League winners host Korea Republic's Daegu FC on May 22 in pole position in the standings, although Yan insists his team are not taking anything for granted.
"We are well aware that nothing is set yet, and we still have two more games left in the group stage of the AFC Champions League," added Yan.
"We’ll do our utmost to ensure we get the results we want from those games and progress into the Round of 16."
Source: the-afc.com