Cruyff satisfied as Chongqing hold on to share points

HONG KONG: Chongqing Lifan coach Jordi Cruyf f declared himself satisfied with his side’s 1-1 draw with Guangzhou R F on Sunday, even though the point earned did little to alleviate the club’s Chinese Super League (CSL) relegation fears.

Huang Zhengyu’s own goal just before the hour gave struggling Chongqing the lead only for R F striker Xiao Zhi to level 10 minutes later with a header that ensured the spoils were shared.

“To be honest, we’re satisfied with a point,” said Cruyff, who took over as head coach in August.

“We were not at our best. We gave away possession of the ball too easily. Although we are not happy with the process, as a team in the relegation battle we are satisfied with the result.”

The draw leaves Chongqing in 14th place in the 16-team top flight, two points ahead of Henan Jianye in the relegation zone.

Also on Sunday, Beijing Renhe fought back from two goals down to seal a 2- 2 draw with Tianjin Teda thanks to efforts from Makhete Diop and Ajub Masika as both clubs strengthened their hopes of avoiding the drop.

The pair, however, are well adrift of league leaders Shanghai SIPG, who secured a comfortable 3-1 win over Changchun Yatai to remain four points clear of second-placed Guangzhou Evergrande and on course for their first league title.

Evergrande were forced to fight back from going down inside the first eight minutes to goals from Eder and Li Ang against Jiangsu Suning to secure a 3- 2 win on Saturday that keeps Fabio Cannavaro’s side in the title race with seven games to go after they slipped to a defeat by SIPG earlier in the week. — Reuters