The hopes of a China Derby between Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua in this year’s AFC Champions League took a blow on Monday night when the Shanghai side let in a last gasp goal to draw 3-3 with Perth Glory. It had all the ingredients of an epic comeback for Choi Kang-hee’s side who almost had one foot in the second round until the late heartbreak. Perth had taken the lead through Bruno Fornaroli’s fine free kick in first-half stoppage time and scored again, with Carlo Armiento doubling the lead just before the hour from another free kick. Colombian midfielder Gio Moreno, returning to the start line-up for the injury-ravaged Shenhua side, scored a quick-fire brace to level the scores – the first a towering header at the back post and the second reacting quickest to prod home from close range. Shenhua’s Yu Hanchao curled home on 73 minutes to complete the comeback but it was not to be. Glory’s Neil Kilkenny made no mistake from the penalty spot with five minutes to go. Those goals from dead balls do not leave them dead and buried in group F but their job to qualify is much harder. Nothing less than victory over group leaders Ulsan Hyundai will do, as FC Tokyo – who are level on points with Shenhua but ahead on goal difference – take on Perth Glory in a game the J League side are expected to win. The Shanghai side will also have to do it without Cao Yunding who was sent off deep into stoppage time. AFC Champions League: Covid-19 casts shadow over restart That means a first season in decades with no China Derby. The coronavirus pandemic saw the sides kept apart in the Chinese Super League season group stage – where teams were confined to bubbles in Suzhou and Dalian – and they were kept apart in the league-defining knockouts. Beijing Guoan fans, having seen their team stroll through the group stage of the AFC Champions League’s own pandemic bubble in Qatar, had hoped to meet their old rivals. Whoever they do draw, Bruno Genesio’s side are in fine form, as proved by a 3-1 win over K-League side FC Seoul on Monday to keep up their 100 per cent record. Jonathan Viera opened the scoring with a free kick before a routine victory was seemingly sealed before half-time, though there was nothing routine about Renato Augusto’s finish. The former Brazil regular’s acrobatic volley left Seoul keeper Yang Han-been with no chance, doubling the lead before half-time. It stayed that way until Yun Ju-tae halved the deficit in the 89th minute but China international Zhang Yuning netted in stoppage time to add a gloss to the scoreline. Beijing Guoan show support to Wuhan in Thailand ACL win “Today’s match, before the game, I asked the players to play with a serious attitude and respect the opponents,” Genesio said after the game. “We played well and we knew we had to fight hard and score goals. Even after we conceded, we responded by scoring again.” It has been reported that Genesio’s future in Beijing is in doubt but an AFC Champions League win will help his cause.