New and improved side Jiangsu Suning FC nipped one of the 2016 Chinese Super League season's top contenders, Henan Jianye FC, 1-0, in a battle of unbeaten teams at the Zhengzhou Hanghai Stadium last Saturday to occupy the top spot of the current league table.
Jiangsu is arguably the most improved team on paper in the newly-opened China top flight season after their recent winter acquisitions of four of the top international talents available today. The Suning group actually broke the Chinese transfer record two times during last winter's transfer window to form the lineup that they have now.
After snagging Australian center back Trent Sainsbury in January from PEC Zwolle, Jiangsu broke the Chinese transfer record with the €32 million signing of former Chelsea midfielder Ramires later that month.
The record was then broken by Guangzhou Evergrande on Feb. 3rd by acquiring Colombian striker Jackson Martinez from Atletico Madrid for €42 million.
Jiangsu broke it again two days later with the €50 million acquisition of Ramires' countryman, Brazilian Alex Teixeira, from Shakhtar Donetsk. The team also signed another Brazilian, 6-foot-3 striker Jô, simultaneous with Teixeira to form one of the strongest international lineups in the CSL at this moment.
However, even with the significant upgrade in their imports roster, it was a local player who scored the winning goal for head coach Dan Petrescu's side against Jianye, 26-year-old midfielder Ji Xiang, who netted the winner three minutes before the full time whistle, as per Soccerway.
The win placed Jiangsu temporarily on top of the overall standings early this season, a point above defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande, and handed Henan its first defeat of the season as manager Jia Xiuquan's side dropped to fourth place in the league table, via Xinhuanet.
Jiangsu also remained as one of only three CSL teams who are still undefeated so far in the season, with the other two being newly-promoted side Hebei China Fortune and perennial contender Shanghai Greenland Shenhua.
Croatian midfielder Sammir rounds out Jiangsu's five imports for this season while Henan features Sainsbury's Socceroo teammate Ryan McGowan, Danish defender Eddi Gomes, Brazilian midfielder Ivo, Filipino forward Javier Patiño, and Swede striker Osman Sow as its international players.