Guangzhou Evergrande's Elkeson (No.9) tries to break through Xu Yunlong (left) and Yu Yang of Beijing Guoan on Tuesday. Photo: CFP

Guangzhou Evergrande retained their league-leading ­position but they were held to a 1-1 draw at Workers' Stadium by Beijing Guoan in the last match of Chinese Super League (CSL) Round 14 on Monday in ­Beijing.

Evergrande, the highest-scoring team in the CSL with 37 goals, now top the table with 32 points, followed by Guoan, who have conceded only eight goals, with 31 points. The Beijing team are five points clear from Guangzhou R&F in third.

Zhang Xizhe of Guoan earned his team an early lead as he scored the opening goal five minutes after kickoff, but Elkeson canceled Guoan's lead before the halftime break as his right-foot effort passed Guoan goalie Yang Zhi.

The two sides exchanged possession but neither side could turn their chances into goals.

Evergrande's Kim Young-gwon and compatriot Ha Dae-sung of Guoan skipped the clash due to their World Cup commitment with South Korea.

But the pair were not the only people who missed the clash.

Evergrande's head coach Marcello Lippi missed the game due to being given a one-game touchline ban for his "improper comments" about the referee after Evergrande's meeting with Guizhou Renhe, which left compatriot assistant coach Massimiliano Maddaloni in charge.

Maddaloni said he was ­happy with Evergrande's performance.

"I'm very happy to see our players' performance," Maddaloni told the post-match news conference.

"Some key players missed the game, but I'm glad to see the current players did a good job in such a tight clash."

Guoan coach Gregorio Manzano expressed his dissatisfaction with the result.

"It's a pity we got a draw, I don't think the score is enough to express what we did today," Manzano said.

"They are the defending champions, they have a ­deeper squad, we were facing the champions in last three years, but I did hope for a win before the game."

Wednesday sees two rescheduled Round-13 games, Shanghai Greenland await Jiangsu Sainty and Shanghai SIPG host Harbin Yiteng ­before the CSL steps into a nearly two-month hiatus until the league resumes in the middle of July.

Newspaper headline: Guoan coach Manzano unhappy with draw