SUZHOU, China, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian forward Eder Lima scored a brace and helped Jiangxi Liansheng beat Beijing Renhe 2-1 in the first leg of the relegation battle of the 2020 China League One on Wednesday.
Beijing had several golden chances to make the desired impact at half-time, but the post denied Zhang Yufeng's low shot, and Jiangxi's goalkeeper Zhu Jiaqi kept out a firm header from Wan Houliang.
The impasse ended early in the second half as Eder's thunderous, laced free-kick from just outside Beijing's box brought Jiangxi roaring back.
Eder scored a brace in the 53rd minute as he controlled Shang Yin's pass before firing into the corner.
The game became stretched in the closing stages, and Beijing saw a glimmer of hope in the 90th minute when the young striker Liu Xinyu found space in the box and slid in a composed finish.
The second leg will be played on Nov. 21, with the losing side on aggregate relegated to the China League Two, the third-tier football league. Enditem