The battle for first place between Beijing Guoan and Shandong Luneng in the Chinese Super League (CSL) ended in a 1-1 draw. 

The result means that at the halfway point of the soccer season, the title race is wide open, but that is of little consolation to the Capital Club's supporters, who were none too pleased with last night's outcome.

With more than 56,000 fans at Workers Stadium, Renato Augusto's brilliant free-kick five minutes before half-time not only leveled the score but also ignited the crowd's hopes for a win over Shandong Luneng. The most expensive player in Beijing Guoan's line-up, Cedric Bakambu, was a constant threat up front, and prior to Sunday had found the net 11 times in 15 games, but would not be able to solve Wang Dalei. 

Although the visitors counterattacked with abandon after the break, as Graziano Pelle and Diego Tardelli manned the frontline, neither side would score again, so the 1-1 draw leaves the capital club in first place, one point ahead of the Orange Fighters.

While Beijing's players might be relieved to salvage a point against second-placed Shandong, their fans were reluctant to accept the result and stayed at the venue's exits long after the match had ended. One said, "Honestly speaking, I'm not satisfied with the result. If we had seized our opportunities, this would have been a 3-1 win."

The top four teams in the CSL are separated by just three points in a very close title race, and with Shanghai SIPG and Guangzhou Evergrande still needing to make up a contest that was postponed due to a typhoon, the picture is only poised to get even more jumbled.