Brazilian duo fire Beijing past FC Seoul

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Beijing face Melbourne Victory next on Tuesday while Seoul will lock horns with Chiangrai United the same day.