Shanghai (AFP) – Marouane Fellaini, who spent three weeks in hospital with coronavirus, scored a hat-trick of headers in less than 10 minutes to give Shandong Luneng a 3-2 win over Rafa Benitez’s Dalian Pro on Sunday.
Former Newcastle United striker Salomon Rondon looked to have given Benitez’s side a winning start to the Chinese Super League (CSL) season with a 57th-minute header of his own.
But former Manchester United midfielder Fellaini then roared to the fore with three towering headers in the 79th, 83rd and 86th minutes in Dalian.
Spanish coach Benitez, who took Liverpool to Champions League glory, could only look on in stunned bemusement.
Swedish international defender Marcus Danielson pulled a goal back for Dalian deep into stoppage time.
The 32-year-old Fellaini is the only known coronavirus case in the CSL and spent three weeks in hospital in China before his release in mid-April.
Shandong said he was asymptomatic and the giant Belgian posted pictures on social media of him doing exercises in his hospital bedroom.
“The feeling is good, always good to score, always good to win… it was a tough but good game,” said Fellaini, who was deployed in attack in the absence of Italian striker Graziano Pelle, another former Premier League star now in China.
“I am not a number nine but if I can help the team, I can do it.”
The CSL kicked off on Saturday five months late because of coronavirus.
All matches are being played behind closed doors in two cities, Suzhou and Dalian, to limit the risk of infections.
