BEIJING, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai Shenhua secured a vital 3-1 away win over Beijing Guoan on Saturday night, moving to the top of the Chinese Super League (CSL) standings after a high-stakes 17th-round clash between the league's top two teams.
Shenhua struck early, scoring twice in the opening 21 minutes. In the seventh minute, Gao Tianyi delivered a pinpoint cross from the left, finding new signing Luis Asue, who headed in his debut goal. Veteran midfielder Wu Xi doubled the lead 14 minutes later, finishing into the far corner on a counterattack.
Beijing responded five minutes later, as Portuguese midfielder Goncalo Rodrigues curled a free kick past the wall to halve the deficit. Despite sustained pressure in the second half, Guoan could not find an equalizer.
Instead, Shenhua sealed the win in stoppage time, with forward Yu Hanchao scoring on another counterattack. The result puts Shenhua three points clear of Guoan at the top of the table.
Defending champions Shanghai Port also posted a 3-1 win at Changchun Yatai. But another title contender Chengdu Rongcheng stumbled amid internal turmoil. At the pre-match press conference, South Korean head coach Seo Jung-won publicly criticized the club's management for limiting his authority. The unrest appeared to carry over to the pitch, as Chengdu fell 2-1 on the road to Tianjin Jinmen Tiger.
Elsewhere, Wuhan Three Towns drew 1-1 with Qingdao West Coast, Zhejiang FC defeated Yunnan Yukun 3-1, Dalian Yingbo upset Shandong Taishan 2-0, Shenzhen Peng City routed bottom-placed Qingdao Hainiu 4-0, and Henan FC played to a 1-1 draw with Meizhou Hakka. Enditem
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