Beijing Guoan’s Asian Champions League campaign is over after suffering a last-gasp 2-1 loss to the Newcastle Jets at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Wednesday night.
Beijing went into the game without seven regular first-graders and looked disjointed in the first half needing to produce some scrambling defence to hold out a rampant Newcastle side in the opening 45 minutes.
The visitors attacked with more venom after the break and grabbed the lead with a well-taken chance to former Socceroo Ryan Griffiths in the 69th minute.
But late goals to Sasho Petrovski and substitute striker Sean Rooney handed Newcastle a dramatic come-from-behind victory.
The Chinese Super League team is last in Group E on four points and not even a win against Nagoya Grampus in its final group match will be enough to overtake Newcastle (seven points) or Ulsan Hyundai (six points), with the Korean side hosting the Jets in the battle for the vital second place in the group in two weeks’ time.
Beijing coach Lee Jang-soo said he was disappointed by the loss but said he was pleased with his side’s efforts in the heart-breaking defeat.
“The result is very disappointing for me but I am satisfied with our players,” he said. “They tried their best and gave a good performance during the game.”
The Beijing coach thought his side deservedly took the lead midway through the second half after he had asked his players to believe in themselves during the half-time break after some seem overawed by the occasion in the opening stanza.
“During the first half some of our players played without confidence especially in controlling the ball,” he said.
“At half-time I requested of them to be self confident and to focus more on attack, and they did.”
“But with the intensity of the Asian Champions League and the Chinese Super League our players were really tired and they had a problem with concentration.”
