AFC Champions League Two Group E Tai Po vs Beijing Guoan Photo: VCG

Chinese Super League (CSL) side Beijing Guoan came from two goals down to draw 3-3 with Tai Po of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the third round of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League 2 on Thursday night in Hong Kong. 

Having drawn 2-2 with Cong An Ha Noi of Vietnam and losing 3-0 to Macarthur of Australia, Guoan failed to chalk up their first victory of this season's continental competition under caretaker manager Ramiro Amarelle. Former Spanish head coach Quique Setien parted company with Guoan after the away defeat to Macarthur. 

Michel Renner took advantage of a defensive slip-up by Michael Ngadeu to open the scoring for Tai Po in the 17th minute. James Temelkovski made it 2-0 with a penalty in the 28th minute. 

Bai Yang's header put Guoan back into the game in the first half. After the break, Ngadeu redeemed himself to level the game at 2-2 through a corner.

In the 83rd minute, Dawhan's chipped cross teed up Fabio Abreu for a close-range finish. But Renner's second goal in the 90th minute ended Guoan's hopes of the win. Guoan still sits bottom of Group E with 2 points after the draw. 

It was an evenly contested game. Guoan's defensive errors cost them the win, Liu Yu, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times.

Beijing Guoan have always placed great importance on continental competitions. With their league title hopes all but gone, the team fielded a full-strength lineup for this match, aiming to reverse their recent slump. But they still need to shore up defense, Liu said. 

As Guoan was in the thick of the title race previously, the team opted for a large-scale ­rotation when facing the Vietnam club, which led to a disappointing performance and a narrow draw. Later, in the away match against the Australian side, Setien again decided to rest several key players, resulting in a heavy defeat on the road.

From the fans' perspective, it is not that they can't accept defeat - even with a rotated lineup, the team should still show fighting spirit. However, in the first two Champions League matches, the team failed to display a genuine desire to win. Defensive lapses occurred repeatedly, and 

there was little sign of effective tactical adjustments, a fan surnamed Yuan told the Global Times. 

Having managed just one win in their last five CSL matches and falling out of the title race, Guoan has now set their sights on contending for the Chinese Football Association Cup crown against Henan in the final on December 6, while also hoping to turn things around in the AFC Champions League 2.

Meanwhile, Shanghai Shenhua notched their first win in the AFC Champions League Elite campaign after a 2-0 home win over FC Seoul of South Korea thanks to goals from Luis Asue and Andre Luis on Wednesday. 

Leonid Slutsky, head coach of Shenhua, commended his players for team performance and composure following the win, according to a report by AFC.

"We felt the two teams were very evenly matched and the game was hard-fought, but I'm pleased we took our chances and turned them into a victory," said Slutsky.

Also in this round, Shanghai Port suffered a 0-2 home defeat to Machida Zelvia of Japan while Chengdu Rongcheng, who stands 2 points behind the league leaders Shanghai Port, was edged 0-2 by Johor Darul Ta'zim of Malaysia on Tuesday. Both teams, which had the strongest chances of winning the CSL title this season, opted for extensive squad rotations.