Beijing Guoan were held to a 0-0 draw by Zhejiang Pro at home on Friday night. The result keeps them in fourth place with 42 points after 24 games, trailing third-placed Chengdu Rongcheng by nine points, who have played 23 games.
Despite creating more scoring opportunities than their opponents, Beijing Guoan struggled to convert chances into goals. In the 11th minute, Fabio Abreu set up a one-on-one opportunity for Cao Ziming, but Zhejiang goalkeeper Zhao Bo made a crucial block.
The action intensified in the 57th minute when Guoan was awarded a free kick just outside Zhejiang's box. Guga's precise pass led to a series of attacks from Zhang Chengdong and Michael Ngadeu, creating chaos in Zhejiang's defense. However, the ball struck the post, and a foul was called on Zhang.
In the 80th minute, Zhejiang's Zhao failed to clear the ball effectively, allowing Zhang Yuning a clear shot at goal, which was expertly blocked by Beijing's Sun Zhengao. A subsequent corner kick saw Zhang hit the post again, missing another opportunity to change the scoreline.
The tension peaked in the 88th minute when Zhang was shown a red card by the referee for elbowing Sun in the face. Three minutes later, Beijing's Yang Liyu went down while contesting a header in the box, but the referee did not call a foul, leaving both teams to settle for the draw.
Other matches on Friday included:
- Henan 0-2 Cangzhou Mighty Lions
- Tianjin Jinmen Tiger 1-0 Wuhan Three Towns
- Nantong Zhiyun 0-3 Qingdao West Coast
Reference(s):
Beijing Guoan slowed in top-three pursuit after 0-0 draw with Zhejiang
cgtn.com
