Guangzhou R&F FC blanked fellow contending squad Henan Jianye FC 2-0 in a 2016 Chinese Super League game held at the Yuexiushan Stadium in Guangdong on Sunday.

The battle in the middle of the table is getting more intense as the season slowly winds down because teams are trying to stay away from getting relegated to the China League One next term. The bottom two finishers at the end of the season will be demoted to the second-tier football league while China League One's top two teams will be promoted to the China top-flight.

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Guangzhou R&F's Israeli player forward Eran Zahavi netted the opening goal of the game from a spot kick in the 56th minute after both clubs finished the first half with a goalless draw. The Israeli national team captain earned the penalty kick after being fouled by Henan defender Gu Cao.

The Blue Lions then doubled their lead in the 69th minute as Brazilian winger Renatinho's cross was tapped into Henan shot stopper Wu Yan's net by Australian striker Apostolos Giannou.

The two-point win snapped the two-game winless slide of head coach Dragan Stojković's men and also lifted them to the seventh spot of the league table, passing Henan, who dropped to eighth.

It was also the first shutout win in nine games for R&F. The victory was also Guangzhou's second in their last seven games.

Meanwhile, Henan Jianye slipped to their lowest place in the standings this season as they succumbed to their fifth loss in seven games.

The Red Devils was in the top four during the first few rounds before slowly dropping down the table as the season progressed.

While being safe from relegation with four games left, manager Jia Xiuquan and his boys still have a chance to end their season on a winning note.

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League 2016, Guangzhou R&F FC, Henan Jianye FC