Zhang's late winner maintains Beijing's championship hopes
By Michael Church
HONG KONG, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Zhang Yuning's last-minute winner kept alive Beijing Guoan's hopes of progressing to the championship rounds of the Chinese Super League as Slaven Bilic's side beat Changchun Yatai 2-1 on Thursday.
Zhang stabbed in a bouncing ball from close range to earn Beijing a victory that keeps them within a point of fourth-placed Hebei FC with one round of matches remaining in Group B.
The former West Bromwich Albion striker had given Beijing the lead when his header squeezed over the line eight minutes after the restart only for Junior Negrao to level from a corner 21 minutes later.
Zhang's winner, however, means Beijing must win against Shanghai Shenhua when the teams meet on Sunday in a game that was originally to be played on July 25 but was postponed due to a typhoon.
The current edition of the Chinese Super League is being played in centralised hubs in Suzhou and Guangzhou.
The 16 teams have been split into groups of eight, with the top four clubs in each section advancing to a championship round to decide the title winners.
Hebei remain in fourth place in Group B on 22 points - one more than Beijing - following a 1-0 win over Shanghai Port that came via Yin Hongbo's 34th-minute goal.
Adrian Mierzejewski's penalty gave Shanghai Shenhua a 1-0 victory over Tianjin Tigers, which keeps them in third place, also one point ahead of Beijing going into their crucial meeting at the weekend.
Shanghai Port and Changchun Yatai have already confirmed their progress to the next round of the competition.
In Group A, which was completed on Wednesday, Guangzhou City ensured they secured a place in the championship rounds with a 1-1 draw against Henan Longmen that sealed fourth spot for Jean Paul van Gastel's side.
Tiago de Leonco rescued a point for City midway through the second half when he ran onto Chen Zhizhao's chipped pass to volley beyond Wang Guoming.
The draw ensured City finished three-points clear of Henan.
Guangzhou City join Shandong Taishan, Guangzhou FC and Shenzhen FC in progressing to the championships rounds while Henan, Chongqing Athletic, Cangzhou Mighty Lions and Qingdao FC will battle to avoid relegation.
Shandong finished top as a 2-1 win over Cangzhou moved Hao Wei's side onto 33 points.
Eight-time champions Guangzhou FC ended in second with Elkeson scoring a hat-trick in their 5-0 win over Qingdao FC while Wang Yongpo's injury-time winner gave third-placed Shenzhen FC a 2-1 win over Chongqing. (Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Toby Davis)
