Chinese Super League: Kim Min-jae returns as Beijing Guoan set early pace with win
- South Korean defender Kim Min-jae makes first appearance of the season for Beijing side amid Tottenham transfer speculation
- Managerless Qingdao Huanghai get first top flight point after draw with fellow newcomers Shijiazhuang Ever Bright
An early Jonathan Viera goal was enough to ensure that Chinese Super League title hopefuls Beijing Guoan kept up the pace in the belated domestic campaign with a win over Wuhan Zall.
The Brazilian scored after just three minutes behind closed doors in a humid Suzhou, volleying home from a Wang Gang cross.
That early strike proved the difference in a game in which Bruno Genesio’s team dominated possession and should have scored again through Cedric Bakambu.
South Korean defender Kim Min-jae returned to the Beijing line-up amid ongoing transfer speculation linking him with a move to English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, where he would link up with international teammate Son Heung-min.
Kim played 78 minutes on his return to action, having arrived back later to the Beijing camp than the club’s other foreigners.