Ryan Griffiths scored a crucial brace in the absence of suspended brother Joel for a 2-0 win over Guangzhou Pharmaceutical as Beijing Guoan edged closer to the Chinese title.
The Australian forward fired Guoan ahead after 13 minutes and doubled his personal tally with a second on 84 minutes to seal an important three points for the capital club who remain top of the table with two games remaining in the Super League season.
Guoan's closest rivals Henan Construction easily accounted for Qingdao Jonoon, winning 3-1 to stay level on points with Beijing but behind on goal difference. Changchun Yatai moved into third place, a point and goal difference behind the top two, with a 2-0 win over Dalian Shide.
Elsewhere, Mark Milligan played a full game for Shanghai Shenhua but they slipped out of the title race after drawing 1-1 with battling Hangzhou Lucheng at home. The result leaves Shenhua sixth, some 4 points behind the leaders.
And Brendon Santalab scored the only goal of the game as Chengdu Blades all but secured their top flight status with a 1-0 win over Jiangsu. The goal was Santalab's ninth since moving to China.
In Japan's J.League overnight, Joshua Kennedy was a 63rd minute substitute as Nagoya Grampus conceded late to lose 2-1 at Yokohama F.Marinos. Nagoya fielded a makeshift side ahead of Wednesday's ACL semi-final first-leg against Al-Ittihad Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
In Korea's K-League, Antun Kovacic wasn't in the Ulsan Horang squad which lost 1-0 at home to Gyeongnam FC. The result means Ulsan can no longer qualify for the top 6 playoffs.
In Singapore's S-League, Goran Subara reverted to a central defensive role as Gombak United lost 2-0 at home to Tampines Rovers.
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