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QINHUANGDAO, China, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini failed to taste his first victory in China after Hebei China Fortune draw 1-1 at home with Chongqing Lifan in the Chinese Super League (CSL) here on Friday.
Brazilian striker Alan Kardec gave Chongqing the lead on 64 minutes with a header from Fernandinho's cross before Aloisio dos Santos, who scored his 6th goal this season, leveled the game from the penalty spot in the 75th minute.
"I knew it would be a tough match as we had four players suspended, three of them are from the defence side. We didn't create enough scoring chances as the last match against Yanbian." said Pellegrini.
This draw was a heavy blow to Hebei's battle for the AFC Champions League berth as they are now six points behind third-placed Shanghai Shenhua with four rounds to go. Hebei has not won in their last six games including Pellegrini's debut.
"They played better than us in the first half, but we rallied after the break. We need more time for training and I still believe we can advance to the AFC Champions League," the 63-year-old Chilean added.
