Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning FC edged J1 League squad Gamba Osaka, 1-0, on the road at the Suita City Football Stadium on Wednesday in a third round game in the 2017 AFC Champions League tournament.

Former Chelsea standout Ramires provided the winning goal for head coach Choi Yong-soo's side as he buried a left-footed shot from 20 yards out in the 39th minute of the match off a perfect setup by Chinese midfielder Ji Xiang.

Like Us on Facebook

Gamba goalkeeper Ryota Suzuki was helpless to stop the long-range stunner as it curled toward the upper left hand corner of his net, Four Four Two reported. It was the second goal in three games for the Brazilian winger.

Head coach Kenta Hasegawa's squad almost netted the opening goal of the game three minutes earlier after midfielder Yasuyuki Konno's shot clanged off the goal post. It was the closest chance the Japanese side had during the contest as the team dropped their second straight home game in the tournament following a 1-4 loss to South Korean team Jeju United in the second round, as per the AFC's official website.

Gamba pulled off a 3-0 victory over A-League club Adelaide United to open their group stage campaign on the road at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Australia on Feb. 22 before their two losses in Suita.

Meanwhile, it was the third straight win for Jiangsu as the team remained perfect in three games in the competitions. Jiangsu nipped Jeju United, 1-0, at the Jeju World Cup Stadium on Feb. 22 also via a Ramires 90th-minute goal before going through another close match in the second round, a 2-1 win over Adelaide United.

Jiangsu and Gamba will face each other again in the fourth round with the China top-flight club now playing as the hosts at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre in China on April 11.

TagsAFC Champions League, AFC Champions League 2017, 2017 AFC Champions League group stage, Jiangsu Suning FC, Gamba Osaka