Bruno Genesio marked his debut with Beijing Guoan with a 2-0 victory over Hebei China Fortune in the Chinese Super League (CSL) on Friday as Renato Augusto and Cedric Bakambu scored two late penalties.

The former Lyon manager took the helm of the CSL powerhouse on Wednesday after his predecessor Roger Schmidt of Germany was sacked following the team's disastrous three-game losing streak in all competitions.

"We played well in the first 15 minutes in the first half. We created two good chances, one was saved and the other one hit the post," the 53-year-old Frenchman said after the game. "But we finally won the game through two penalties. We deserve the victory."

Guoan was awarded a penalty for a handball from Hebei defender Liu Jing in the 87th minute and Brazilian midfielder Augusto convert it to pocket his 10th league goal of the season.

Congolese striker Bakambu gave the visiting side another heavy blow only two minutes later, as he also scored from a penalty kick after being brought down by Hebei goalkeeper Chi Wenyi in the penalty area.

Guoan moved to second place in the table, one point behind league leaders Guangzhou Evergrande and three clear of third-placed Shanghai SIPG.

"The win will boost our confidence, especially for our next important game," Genesio said. Guoan will host Evergrande in the CSL on August 11 as the clash is no doubt critical for both sides.

While Guoan are still fighting for their first league title since 2009, their city rivals Beijing Renhe, sitting at the bottom of the table, have to battle to avoid relegation, although their hope of staying in the top flight has been diminished after a 1-1 away draw against second-to-last side Shenzhen.

Cameroon forward John Mary's header in the 26th minute opened scoring for Shenzhen, but Zhu Baojie leveled the score for Renhe from a close-range shot before the second half.

Neither side will be satisfied with the result, as a win is much needed to remain in the top flight. 

Renhe now rank last in the standings with only 12 points from 21 rounds of league games, while Shenzhen are just three points ahead of Renhe, but haven't won a game in their last 13 appearances.

Spanish coach Rafael Benitez and Dalian Yifang claimed their third victory in a row.

Salomon Rondon came off the bench to score a brace, helping the side beat Chongqing Lifan 3-1 away. Belgian midfielder Yannick Carrasco added another goal for Dalian while Fernandinho Silva scored for Chongqing.

Elsewhere, Shanghai Shenhua tied Wuhan Zall 2-2 at home while Guangzhou R&F also drew 2-2 with Jiangsu Suning.