Red-hot Hebei setting pace in CSL

Manuel Pellegrini's Hebei CFFC beat Guangzhou R&F 2-1 to secure its third win in a row on Sunday and move into third place in the Chinese Super League as the battle for places in next season's Asian Champions League heats up.

First-half goals from Brazilian striker Aloisio and Zhang Lifeng effectively secured all three points for Hebei, with Teng Yi's effort for Dragan Stojkovic's team proving little more than a consolation.

The win moves Hebei to 42 points, one clear of Tianjin Quanjian, which beat Guizhou Zhicheng 3-1 on Sunday. Tianjin still has a game in hand on the leader.