(CNN) -- Wei Guoqiang has been following Chinese football for more than 20 years but reasons to celebrate have been few and far between. "It's like the Chinese saying; 'you always think your children are the most beautiful no matter how ugly they are,'" the 30-year-old education specialist told CNN in Beijing. Dogged by poor performances on the pitch and corruption scandals off it, the Chinese game has been far from beautiful. But die-hard soccer fans like Wei finally have something to cheer about. Guangzhou Evergrande, a soccer team based in the southern city of Guangzhou, became Asian champions on Saturday, beating South Korea's FC Seoul to claim China's first continental title in 23 years in a stadium packed to capacity with fans wearing the team's blood-red colors.
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Chinese team Guangzhou Evergrande have become Asian champions
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Hopes high that victory will give Chinese football a much-needed boost
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Chinese game has been dogged by scandals and poor performance
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They will now compete in FIFA Club World Cup in December
Guangzhou Evergrande
Guangzhou Evergrande
@placeholder's rise to the top of Asian football has been fast and furious and some say it could be Asia's first "superclub."
Asian
Asian
Evergrande's rise to the top of @placeholder football has been fast and furious and some say it could be Asia's first "superclub."
Asian
Asian
Evergrande's rise to the top of Asian football has been fast and furious and some say it could be @placeholder's first "superclub."
Guangzhou Evergrande
Guangzhou Evergrande
Hopes are high that @placeholder's arrival on the international soccer stage will give a much-needed boost to the country's football system.