To Asia for the AFC Champions League with the biggest spenders in the CSL, Jiangsu Suning, on the verge of reaching the knockout stage of the continental competition.
They went into their match at South Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai with a chance to win Group E outright, and earn a favorable draw in the Round of 16, but with three of the four teams in the pool all close to the top, they would need a victory to ensure advancement.
And hosts Jeonbuk in the green would be awarded a penalty in the 18th minute after Yang Xiaotian takes down Choi Chul-Soon. The deep challenge in the box is an obvious foul.
Leonardo steps up and drills his shot into the left side to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
But their advantage doesn't last long. Off a free kick in the 24th minute, Alex Teixeira volleys in an equaliser for Jiangsu, and the first half would finish tied at 1-1.
That scoreline would be good enough to take both teams through if Tokyo lose to Binh Duong in Group E's late match.
Eight minutes after the restart Suning are given a penalty of their own. Luiz Henrique goes boot to boot on Ramires.
Joao Alves with a stutter step that almost tricks his own teammates, before finding the bottom corner to give Jiangsu a 2-1 lead that could guarantee advancement.
But Jeonbuk would have lots of time to come back. In the 68th minute, the corner kick is nodded on, and Lim Jong-Eun provides the final touch. Suning would be unable to score again, and the match finishes 2-2.
"It's a pity we didn't make it, but we have a league match in three days, so that will be our main focus now," said Ren Hang, Jiangsu Suning defender.
Chinese club ousted via Tokyo’s win in Group E’s late game
The draw gives Jeonbuk top spot in Group E with 10 points from six games. Jiangsu finished with nine, but the Chinese side were eliminated as Tokyo beat Binh Duong 2-1 in Vietnam to claim the second qualification place. Jeonbuk faces Australian club Melbourne Victory in the Round of 16.
Ill coach Menezes misses game as CSL representatives advance
Meanwhile, Buriram United at home to Shandong Luneng in Group F. Supachok Sarachart almost gives the Thai side the lead with this header in the 11th minute, but is judged to be offside.
After the interval, the home side continue to pressure Luneong, and five minutes from time, Orange Figheters midfielder Jin Jingdao is sent off after receiving his second yellow card for pushing down Buriram's captain, Andres Jose, in the area. Pretty hard to argue with that call. The game finishes a goalless draw, and Shandong are moving on to the knockout stage.
So the Top 8 teams from the East Asia Zone have been finalized, and here is a look at the Quarter-Finals, which will be played across two legs. Two Chinese clubs have reached this stage, as top of their group SIPG will visit Tokyo on May 17th, and then host the Japanese side on the 24th. And second in their pool Shandong Luneng will host Sydney in the first leg May 18th, and then visit the Australian outfit on the 25th.
