BEIJING, July 17 (Xinhua) -- A late penalty converted by Brazilian Renato Augusto granted Beijing Guoan a 2-1 win over city rivals Beijing Renhe in the 18th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) here on Wednesday.
Winning their 700th game in the top flight, Beijing Guoan continue their lead with 48 points, two points ahead of Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai SIPG, who smashed Hebei China Fortune 3-0 in another match on Wednesday.
Young striker Wang Ziming's header put Guoan ahead only six minutes into the game. Renhe levelled the score in the 61st minute thanks to Makhete Diop's free kick, which deflected on Guoan's defending player Chi Zhongguo and went into the net.
Renhe were close to taking one point from the Beijing Workers' Stadium, before Augusto converted the penalty he created in the 81st minute and clinched the victory for the home side.
However, Guoan might have to fight at least six weeks without their prolific striker Jonathan Viera, who was forced off the pitch in the first half of the game due to an injury primarily diagnosed as fractured rib, as the club revealed on social media after the match.
"We had an important victory today. We did not play a good game, but I'm happy we walked off with three points," Guoan coach Roger Schmidt said.
Defending champions Shanghai SIPG eased past Hebei China Fortune with Chen Binbin, Hulk and Oscar each scored a goal, trailing closely behind leaders Beijing Guoan with 46 points.
Shandong Luneng defeated Tianjin Tianhai 2-1 at home with midfielder Liu Binbin contributed a goal and an assist in the first half. Brazilian striker Alan scored a consolation goal in the stoppage time of the game.
"My good performance today was the result of the joint effort by our team, which enabled us to win the game in such a grueling weather," Liu said.
Elsewhere, Chongqing STM Motors beat Shenzhen 2-0 with two goals in three minutes in the second half. Wuhan Zall and Jiangsu Suning tied at 1-1.
"We had chances in the game, and it's a pity we did not make good use of them and failed to win the game. But every point is important to us in the fierce competition in the CSL, as it means we are one step further," said Li Tie, coach of Wuhan Zall, which sits sixth on the league table.
