Beijing Guo'an Forced to 0-0 Tie by Shandong Luneng

Beijing Guo'an Forced to 0-0 Tie by Shandong Luneng

---

Beijing Guo'an was held to a goalless draw at home by Shandong Luneng here on Thursday in the fourth round of the Chinese first division soccer league.

Shandong Luneng, which suffered its most humiliating defeats in the Asian Club Championships, went into the match under great pressure, while Beijing Guo'an started sluggishly.

Paraguay forward Wilbeto Casiano, a former Guo'an player, scored a goal in the eighth minute but it was disallowed by the referee over offside.

Luneng almost opened the scoring when Song Yuming drove a powerful shot within the penalty area, which was parried away by goalkeeper Yao Jian.

Guo'an looked different after halftime, mounting a flurry of attacks.

Gao Leilei, who replaced off-form Tian Ye in the second half, cut in from the left wing in the 65th minute and unleashed an oblique shot suddenly on the top of the penalty box, but it was scrambled clear by Luneng goalie Zhang Pengsheng.

Chinese international Shao Jiayi, always a great threat to Luneng's defense, created a lot of chances in the closing moments but his teammates wasted them.

"Today's match was closely contested. I'm satisfied with our team's performance, especially in the first half." said Luneng coach Boris Ignatiev.

"I'm also satisfied with the result, because it will be very important to boost the players' confidence and morale following the elimination from the semifinals of the Asian Club Championships." He added.