Ho Chi Minh City, Feb 24 (IANS) Vietnam' s Becamex Binh Duong managed a 1-1 draw with China's Jiangsu Suning in the opening match of AFC Champions League (ACL) in the Vietnamese province of Binh Duong.
During the game, Binh Duong deployed the tactical lineup of 4-3-3, while Jiangsu used the lineup of 4-2-3-1 on Tuesday, reports Xinhua.
Right after the starting whistle of Iranian referee Alireza Faghani, Chinese players launched their first attack from the right wing. Then, their rivals' first attack stemmed from the left side.
In the 11th minute, Jiangsu forwarder Alex Teixeira delivered a shot just outside the penalty area, but Vietnamese goalie Bui Tan Truong snapped the ball easily.
One minute later, latching onto a pass from former Man City striker Joao Alves, unmarked Chinese mid-fielder Ji Xiang blasted home from close range, defeating the Vietnamese goalie.
In the 18th minute, from the touch-line from the right wing, Ji Xiang threw the ball over Joao Alves for Jiangsu mid-fielder Ramires Santos to make a volley from close range. However, the former Chelsea mid-fielder's shot went above the cross bar.
Nine minutes later, in the penalty area, Jiangsu defender Liu Wei pulled down a Binh Duong player. Vietnamese striker Nguyen Anh Duc converted the penalty kick, defeating Chinese goalkeeper Zhang Sipeng to equalize the score.
Few minutes before the break, the Chinese team launched two dangerous attacks towards the Vietnamese club's goal, but the score remained 1-1 till the end of the first half.
After the break, the two teams engaged in a tug of war, trying to break the deadlock first. Ten minutes into the second half, Binh Duong striker Christian Jose Nsi Amougou got a yellow card for committing foul to a Chinese player. Ten minutes later, it was him that received the second yellow card for faking a fall in the penalty area, then Binh Duong team played with only 10 players.
Binh Duong coach Nguyen Thanh Son said: "Jiangsu Suning is very strong. But we deployed concrete tactics to have the best result for the match."
Jiangsu player Ramires Santos, former Chelsea mid-fielder, who was surrounded by many Vietnamese fans, said: "We arrived here (the southern province of Binh Duong) on Feb. 21 evening. The weather is hot here, while it is much colder in China."
Becamex Binh Duong will leave Vietnam for Japan to clash with Japan' s FC Tokyo on March 1, while Jiangsu will play South Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
The 2016 AFC Champions League is the 35th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament held by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 14th under the current AFC Champions League. China's Guangzhou Evergrande are the defending champions.
