Beijing Guoan defeated Seoul FC 3-1, its fifth consecutive victory in Group E while Perth Glory drew with Shanghai Shenhua 3-3 in Group F in the 2020 AFC Champions League (CL) here on Monday.
Guoan broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute when Jonathan Viera Ramos volleyed a free kick directly into the corner of the goal.
Before the whistle of the first half, with the precise cross of Wang Gang from the right flank, Renato Augusto, without any defense, smashed in a spectacular volley to enlarge the gap.
The second half witnessed back and forth attack but neither of the teams made a breakthrough until the 88th minute when Guoan snatched the ball from Seoul on the midfield. Han Seung-Gyu managed to pull one back for Seoul from a close range.
In the injury time, after receiving the long pass from the back field, Zhang Yuning got clear of Seoul’s defense to help Guoan seal the victory.
With this win, Guoan notched the top position in the group.
The competition between Shenhua and Perth was a closely-contested one. After Bruno Fornaroli scored the first goal for Perth with a free kick close to the end of the first half, Carlo Armiento contributed another to widen the gap.
Giovanni Moreno demonstrated his prowess as the team leader by converting a header in the 62nd minute and made his second goal 10 minutes later thanks to Yu Hanchao’s cross from the left to the box.
Just 69 seconds later, Perth made a mistake during their pass, gifting Yu a wide range tap-in to make a comeback for Shenhua.
However, due to Stephane M’Bia’s kick foul in the 85th minute, Perth was awarded a penalty to tie the score.
Elsewhere, Ulsan Hyundai edged FC Tokyo 2-1, while Chiangrai United drew Melbourne Victory 2-2.
