<p class="bodytext">Brazilians Fernando and A Lan scored either side of the break as Beijing Guoan overcame a huge jinx against South Korean opposition with a 2-1 victory over FC Seoul in their Champions League clash on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Chinese side's second win in as many matches -- they had beaten Thailand's Chiangrai United in February before the pandemic struck -- took them to the top of Group E which also includes Melbourne Victory.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Beijing were carrying a dubious record in the tournament, having won only two of their 19 matches against South Korean teams before they lined up against FC Seoul at Doha's Education City Stadium.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But they proved much better on the day with a cohesive display, rarely allowing the six-times K League champions any leeway, especially in the first session, which they thoroughly dominated with 68 percent ball possession.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After the initial moments of circumspection, midfielder Fernando put Beijing ahead in the eighth minute with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box as he found space following an assist from Zhang Yunin.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Clear-cut opportunities were hard to come by for both sides, but Han Chan-hee almost equalized in first-half stoppage time, his shot from outside the box going slightly wide of target.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Han had another chance four minutes after resumption but Beijing goalkeeper Hou Sen brought off a splendid save after the Korean had brilliantly controlled a Ko Kwang-min pass before taking his shot.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Although the Koreans produced a better display after the break, it was the Beijingers who still held control most of the time and looked like scoring.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And sure enough they managed to extend their lead in the 60th minute with A Lan, formerly known as Alan Carvalho, latching on to a long pass from Renato Augusto, another Brazilian in the Beijing ranks, and beating the Seoul goalkeeper Yang Han-been with a powerful shot from just outside the box.</p>.<p class="bodytext">FC Seoul got back into the match six minutes later when Beijing's South Korean defender Kim Min-jae handled the ball just inside the area and Park Chu-yong easily found the net from the penalty spot.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Desperate for another goal, Seoul tried to up the tempo but failed to make any headway against Beijing who stayed well on course for a spot in the knockout phase.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The second match of the day saw Ulsan Hyundai redeem some South Korean pride with a 3-0 thrashing of Shanghai Shenhua, aided by a first-half brace from Yoon Bit-Garam.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Yoon, 30, known as the 'South Korean Michael Ballack' for his ability to score from the midfield, first struck in the 19th minute in the Group F clash with a low shot from the centre of the box following an earlier attempt that was saved.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But despite his reputation, his second goal of the day - a 41st-minute effort from a Lee Sang-heon assist - was only his third overall in the competition, the first coming way back in 2012 when Ulsan Hyundai won their first and only Asian Champions League title so far.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shenhua, who had beaten Perth glory in Doha earlier this week, conceded their third goal in the 63rd minute, Kim Kee-hee heading past goalkeeper Li Shuai following a free-kick on the left flank.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ulsan had a few scoring chances in the final 15 minutes, but it was Shenhua who managed to sneak in a consolation goal with Zhu Jianrong's thundering header off a Wang Wei cross one minute from time finding the top corner of the net.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Brazilians Fernando and A Lan scored either side of the break as Beijing Guoan overcame a huge jinx against South Korean opposition with a 2-1 victory over FC Seoul in their Champions League clash on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Chinese side's second win in as many matches -- they had beaten Thailand's Chiangrai United in February before the pandemic struck -- took them to the top of Group E which also includes Melbourne Victory.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Beijing were carrying a dubious record in the tournament, having won only two of their 19 matches against South Korean teams before they lined up against FC Seoul at Doha's Education City Stadium.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But they proved much better on the day with a cohesive display, rarely allowing the six-times K League champions any leeway, especially in the first session, which they thoroughly dominated with 68 percent ball possession.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After the initial moments of circumspection, midfielder Fernando put Beijing ahead in the eighth minute with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box as he found space following an assist from Zhang Yunin.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Clear-cut opportunities were hard to come by for both sides, but Han Chan-hee almost equalized in first-half stoppage time, his shot from outside the box going slightly wide of target.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Han had another chance four minutes after resumption but Beijing goalkeeper Hou Sen brought off a splendid save after the Korean had brilliantly controlled a Ko Kwang-min pass before taking his shot.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Although the Koreans produced a better display after the break, it was the Beijingers who still held control most of the time and looked like scoring.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And sure enough they managed to extend their lead in the 60th minute with A Lan, formerly known as Alan Carvalho, latching on to a long pass from Renato Augusto, another Brazilian in the Beijing ranks, and beating the Seoul goalkeeper Yang Han-been with a powerful shot from just outside the box.</p>.<p class="bodytext">FC Seoul got back into the match six minutes later when Beijing's South Korean defender Kim Min-jae handled the ball just inside the area and Park Chu-yong easily found the net from the penalty spot.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Desperate for another goal, Seoul tried to up the tempo but failed to make any headway against Beijing who stayed well on course for a spot in the knockout phase.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The second match of the day saw Ulsan Hyundai redeem some South Korean pride with a 3-0 thrashing of Shanghai Shenhua, aided by a first-half brace from Yoon Bit-Garam.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Yoon, 30, known as the 'South Korean Michael Ballack' for his ability to score from the midfield, first struck in the 19th minute in the Group F clash with a low shot from the centre of the box following an earlier attempt that was saved.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But despite his reputation, his second goal of the day - a 41st-minute effort from a Lee Sang-heon assist - was only his third overall in the competition, the first coming way back in 2012 when Ulsan Hyundai won their first and only Asian Champions League title so far.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shenhua, who had beaten Perth glory in Doha earlier this week, conceded their third goal in the 63rd minute, Kim Kee-hee heading past goalkeeper Li Shuai following a free-kick on the left flank.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ulsan had a few scoring chances in the final 15 minutes, but it was Shenhua who managed to sneak in a consolation goal with Zhu Jianrong's thundering header off a Wang Wei cross one minute from time finding the top corner of the net.</p>