Big-spender and much-improved club Jiangsu Suning FC defeated capital city team Beijing Guoan FC, 2-1, on Sunday at the Worker's Stadium in Beijing in a 2016 Chinese Super League season encounter.

Croatian midfielder Sammir scored the opening goal for Jiangsu at the 14th minute of the match before Beijing defender Zhao Hejing managed to equalize the count ten minutes later off an assist by midfielder Piao Cheng, as per Soccerway.

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The Imperial Guards had an opportunity to stamp their mark in the game with three minutes before the halftime break as Jiangsu's Brazilian midfielder Alex Teixeira, who holds the current Chinese transfer record of €50 million ($57 million), was booked for a second yellow card and sent off at the 42nd minute.

Ball possession went back and forth since then with Beijing making the most of their one-man advantage over head coach Dan Petrescu's 10-man squad, but manager Alberto Zaccheroni's men were not able to penetrate the tough defense of the visitors.

Jiangsu defender Li Ang finally broke the deadlock at the 64th minute with a brilliant free kick that pierced through Beijing goalkeeper Yang Zhi's net to hand his side the victory and the three points in the overall standings, as reported by Shanghai Daily.

The win extended Jiangsu's unbeaten streak to eight games as the team remained as the only undefeated team so far in the season after eight matchdays. It was also the second straight victory for Petrescu's side.

It was the sixth winless performance of the Imperial Guards in their first seven games this term. Beijing was still unable to snag its first victory at home as their only win of the season came on the road against Hangzhou Greentown, 3-0, on April 17th.

The game was also Guoan's first loss in four outings as they had drawn their previous two fixtures following this defeat after the win over Hangzhou.

Meanwhile, reports are still out that Zaccheroni is "under fire" in Beijing as the perennial contenders continue to struggle in the current season.

The Japan Times indicated that fans were shouting "Zaccheroni out!" as well as "Give us the old Guoan back!" during the loss to Jiangsu.

"The fans' reaction is normal. I know this performance was just too difficult to watch," Zaccheroni told reporters after the match when asked if he could hear what the fans were shouting.

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League 2016, Jiangsu Suning FC, beijing guoan fc