Binh Duong held Ramires' team to a draw despite playing with only 10 men.

Defending champions Vietnam earned a 1-1 draw in their AFC Champions League opening match against Jiangsu Suning's star-studded Brazilian side.

Ramires played the full 90 minutes but didn't leave much of an impression. Photo: Quang Liem.

Jiangsu Suning is using all three of its newly acquired Brazilian stars from the winter transfer window: Ramires, Alex Teixeira, and Jo. Of these, the Ramires and Teixeira duo alone cost over $90 million.

With high expectations placed upon them, Jiangsu launched an attack right from the opening whistle. The visitors opened the scoring thanks to a brilliant strike from former Man City striker Jo. The Brazilian forward dribbled down the left wing before passing to Ji Xiang, who scored.

However, the lead caused Jiangsu to ease off, allowing Binh Duong to regain control of the game. The home team quickly capitalized on this with a series of opportunities, one of which resulted in a penalty after Amougou was fouled inside the penalty area. From the penalty spot, captain Anh Duc scored to equalize for Binh Duong before the end of the first half.

The second half saw Jiangsu dominate the game, but the visitors failed to score against Tan Truong. Even after Amougou received his second yellow card and was sent off, Binh Duong did not allow Jiangsu to exploit any openings.

Securing a 1-1 draw at home at Go Dau Stadium, Binh Duong earned their first point in the AFC Champions League group stage. In the other match in Group E played at the same time, South Korean representative Jeonbuk FC won 2-1 against FC Tokyo to take the lead.

Anh Đức scored the first goal for Bình Dương in the AFC Champions League 2016. Photo: Quang Liêm.

Jiangsu Suning became the focus of the football world last January with two blockbuster signings: Ramires and Alex Teixeira. They spent $56 million to make Teixeira the most valuable player in the winter transfer window.

However, their performance against Binh Duong showed that Jiangsu will need time, or a lot more money, to transform themselves in the near future. The Brazilian trio played adequately but failed to demonstrate superior class compared to the rest. Teixeira made some skillful dribbles but lacked effectiveness, while Ramires lacked the passes and penetrations into the penalty area that could create breakthroughs.

Jo was the one who made a bigger impact than his two famous compatriots. The former Man City striker provided the assist for the opening goal and had several dangerous shots despite the tight marking by the Binh Duong defense. One of those shots should have been a second-half goal if his close-range shot hadn't hit his teammate Wuxi's leg.

Teixeira dribbles past Kisekka's challenge. Photo: Quang Liem.

Binh Duong played a sensible game, knowing when to be firm and when to be flexible. The home team took advantage of the opponent's slump in the first half to equalize and played a defensive counter-attacking game for the last 20 minutes with ten men.

In their next match, Binh Duong will play away in South Korea against Jeonbuk FC.

Starting lineup

Binh Duong: Tan Truong, Michal Nguyen, Xuan Luan (Xuan Thanh 74'), Dang Van Robert, Kisekka Henry, Moses, Anh Duc (Van Thanh 82'), Tan Tai, Dinh Luat, Nsi, Cong Vinh (Han Seungyeop 64').

Goal:Anh Duc (penalty 28')

Jiangsu Suning: Zhang Sipeng, Zhou Yun, Trent Sainsbury, Ren Hang, Liu Wei, Ramires, Wu Xi, Zhang Xinlin (Xie Pengfei 70'), Ji Xiang (Qu Cheng 76'), Jo (Ge Wei 88'), Alex Teixeira.

Goal: Ji Xiang (13')

According to VNE