Played in torrential rain in the Chinese capital, the home side took time to settle into the game and it was the visitors who enjoyed the best early chance but Pedro Junior couldn’t beat Zou Dehai in goal.

It took until 30 minutes into the game for the home side to start to take control and Cedric Bakambu almost gave Beijing a fortuitous lead when Yu Dabao’s header ricocheted off his foot, just evading the far post.

Bakambu, who scored a hat-trick when the two teams met in Thailand two weeks ago, had the final chance of the first half after beating the offside trap to get in behind the Buriram defence, but his shot was easily saved by Siwarak Tedsungnoen as the teams headed into half time still locked at 0-0.

While Buriram would’ve been happy heading into half time, it took only 10 minutes into the second half for the home side to go ahead after they were awarded a spot-kick for a handball by Sasalak Haiprakhon, with Brazilian international Augusto making no mistake from the spot.

Roger Schmidt’s side should’ve doubled their lead just two minutes later, but Bakambu’s point-blank effort was well saved by Siwarak to keep Buriram in the game.

It was but a momentary reprieve, however, and the home side got the second goal they were after with 15 minutes remaining when Augusto turned provider, clipping in an inch perfect cross for Ba Dun who headed home at close range.

The win takes Beijing FC into second spot in Group G behind Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, who defeated Urawa Reds 2-1 earlier in the evening.

And it is the Korea Republic side that Beijing will next face at the Workers’ Stadium in two weeks in a match that could determine which team finishes top of the group.

Buriram United, meanwhile, return home to face Urawa Red Diamonds with their hopes of advancing from the group all but extinguished.

The 25-year-old Itthipat, who claimed his third Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory in January, was sharp off the tees, trading eight birdies against one bogey to take a one-shot lead over Japan’s Nari Gamma at the US$75,000 event which is staged at the Empire Hotel and Country Club.

Singapore’s Koh Deng Shan, Thailand’s Poosit Supupramai, Tawit Polthai as well as the American duo of Casey O’Toole and Austen Truslow are bunched in third place on matching 65s.

Starting on the back nine 10, Itthipat birdied two of his opening three holes before dropping a shot on hole 13. He recovered with consecutive birdies on holes 17 and 18 for an outward 32.

The Thai, who currently holds the top spot on the current ADT Order of Merit rankings, stayed bogey-free in his second nine, notching birdies on holes two, three, four and six for an inward 31.

“My goal today was to shoot at least two-under-par so I am happy to have achieved it today. I played well because I kept my ball on the fairway and gave myself a chance to hit it close on the approach,” said Itthipat, who only missed two fairways.

“I feel pretty relaxed this week because I know I can do well here and I will stick to my game plan for the next couple of rounds,” added the Thai, who finished third in Brunei last year.

Gamma, who missed the cut in his Bruneian debut last year, opened his campaign with a sizzling 64 which also marked his personal-best round of the year.

“I had a fast start today and was giving myself a lot of birdie opportunities. My short game really helped me today and I had a couple of good saves.

“The highlight of my day was on hole eight when my second shot went into the water but I made a great up-and-down from 30 yards to save bogey,” said the 30-year-old Gamma.

Koh, chasing his maiden ADT victory this week, put himself in the mix with three birdies in his closing four holes.

“I putted quite well today and made a few good iron shots on the front nine. I have been hitting the ball good this year and I think I am just reading the greens better today.

“I did well coming down the stretch with good birdies on holes 15, 17 and 18. I had only one bogey on hole 16 because of a wrong club choice but overall it was a great round,” said Koh.

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive at least six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.

The Organising Committee of the Butra Heidelberg Cement Brunei Championships has announced a charity drive through its “Birdies for Charity” program. Through the generous contributions of its donors, the program will receive B$10 for every birdie recorded during each round.

All pledges collected after four rounds will go directly to the Dana Pengiran Musa Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah for Orphans and the Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam.

Leading first round scores:

63 – Itthipat Buranatanyarat (THA).

64 – Nari Gamma (JPN).

65 – Koh Deng Shan (SIN), Poosit Supupramai (THA), Casey O’Toole (USA), Tawit Polthai (THA), Austen Truslow (USA).

66 – Chonlatit Chuenboonngam (THA), Prom Meesawat (THA), Wang Wei-lun (TPE), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA), Sarit Suwannarut (THA), Shae Wools-Cobb (AUS).

Japanese rising star Osaka, 21, launches her clay season in Stuttgart this week, and her hopes of holding on to her spot at the top of the rankings were given a boost when world number two Halep withdrew with a hip injury earlier Tuesday.

“She was getting really close,” said Osaka, who is less than 200 points ahead of Halep in the WTA rankings. “I feel like I dodged a bullet there.”

Osaka said that winning was not everything in Stuttgart, where she last played as a qualifier in 2017.

“I don’t want to overhype myself and say, ‘I will win the tournament’,” she insisted.

“I just want to have fun and experience the German crowd, because last time I was here, I was kind of a nobody.”

She is definitely no longer a ‘nobody’, having won back-to-back Grand Slam titles in the United States and Australia since September.

However, she admitted finding it difficult to adjust to her newfound global fame.

“It is something that happened really quickly. In the beginning it was tough for me, because I put a lot of pressure on myself,” she said.

“I feel like there is certain things, I should be doing, that I am not doing right now.”

Osaka has not won a title since her Australian Open triumph in January, suffering early exits at three recent WTA tournaments.

She was reluctant to speak about her split with her German coach Sascha Bajin earlier this year.

“I feel like I get in trouble for answering questions like this. There were irreconcilable differences,” she said.

Osaka said she hoped to get more used to playing on clay ahead of the French Open next month.

“I feel, that on every surface of the season I do have a lot more experience than on clay.”

“The bounces are different and you have to swing for the ball. For me it is a little bit difficult, because I can´t hit as flat.”

Osaka is expected to play her first game on Thursday, where she faces a potential clash with Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei, who beat her in Miami last month.

– Kerber eyes Career Slam on clay –

Reigning Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber, meanwhile, has recovered from illness in time to launch her clay season on home soil as she eyes a career Grand Slam in Paris this year.

Kerber has won every major except the French Open since 2016, but she has never got past the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.

“You know clay and me, you know the story,” she told reporters with a smile on Monday.

“It’s a tough challenge (to win all four Grand Slam tournaments), but I will not put too much pressure on my side.”

“Right now, I will focus on the tournaments ahead, and then when I’m in Paris, I will think about the Paris situation.”

Kerber missed out on Germany’s Fed Cup play-off win over Latvia last week after she picked up an illness earlier this month, but said on Tuesday that she had returned to full strength.

Halep’s absence has given the German a little more breathing space.

Instead of playing a first-round match against Donna Vekic on Wednesday, Kerber gets a bye to the second round, where she faces a potential clash with compatriot Andrea Petkovic.

United take on City at Old Trafford on Wednesday 22 points behind the reigning champions and 24 adrift of leaders Liverpool, despite coach Solskjaer initially going a dozen league games unbeaten after succeeding the sacked Jose Mourinho.

The weekend’s 4-0 hammering at Everton was their third defeat in their five matches since and the 46-year-old called for patience when asked if he thought his squad was capable of competing for the title next season.

“I don’t think we’ve got the consistency to do that,” said the former United striker.

“Over the last 18 games, we’re not far away from them but it’s doing it over the course of a season.

“We’ve done it for half a season now. Let’s see. You can never say never.”

– ‘Realistic’ –

United were last crowned champions in 2013,  and Solskjaer added: “You cannot expect things to happen overnight and we know that. It will happen gradually and we have to be realistic enough as a club that we have to take it step by step.

“That’s not changing 10 players now and bringing 10 players in. It’s slowly, slowly but surely.

“It has to be the right quality, right personality, the right standards to get us back to where we want to be.”

Solskjaer has often spoken at length of the need for his players to take personal pride in playing for one of the world’s biggest club, and following their recent rotten run of six defeats in eight matches in all competitions he also said that the pain of falling behind United’s two major local rivals was acute.

“For me, the motivation is towards something, to win something yourself,” he said.

“We have to want to overtake them, not because it’s City and Liverpool. But of course because it’s City and Liverpool, for a supporter as I am, and as a manager now as well, because they’re so close in the vicinity as well, we want to be the best.

“We have been the best, and it’s not nice seeing those two at the top,” he admitted.

Solskjaer’s emotional post-match response at Goodison Park saw him warn some of his under-performing stars that they will not be at the club long-term.

“I think now is not the time to make drastic changes, but of course we do plan ahead… we know who we want to bring with us,” he said.

“There are many of these players who will stay at the club for so many years and be successful, and I’m going to do everything I can to be successful and hopefully these players can come out with a response the next four games.

“But we’re still planning long term, and that’s just natural. That’s the cycle of a team, that it changes.”

Victory for City in the Premier League clash will keep the reigning champions on course to become the first team in English football history to win a treble of all three major domestic trophies in the same season.

City boast an impressive run of five wins and a draw in their last seven league visits to Old Trafford — a sequence that includes 6-1 and 3-0 victories.

Guardiola, however, refused to use that form guide as a reason for confidence, although he accepted a trip to Old Trafford was not as daunting as in previous years.

“I don’t make theories about what happened in the past for what is going to happen in the future,” Guardiola told reporters on Tuesday.

“Every game is completely different. The reason why is the fact this club in the last decade grew a lot and it is not scary to go there.

“Before it was maybe more difficult. The players Manchester City had in the last decade made this game a little bit more equal.”

Man City can move one point clear of title rivals Liverpool at the top of the table heading into their final three games of the season with victory over United.

This latest derby takes place against the backdrop of United’s woeful 4-0 loss away to Everton on Sunday, a lacklustre display that was roundly criticised.

– ‘Everton is over’ –

Guardiola, however, did not expect the Goodison Park performance to have a major bearing on the derby.

“A little bit, yeah but even a good result, the confidence will be higher,” said Guardiola when asked if United’s defeat by Everton made his task harder.

“It is a derby and all the times we play against United, the derbies are always special games and the players do their best for the fans, the club.”

The Catalan boss added: “I saw the game, I imagine what will happen against us. The game against Everton is over.”

City will visit Old Trafford without inspirational playmaker Kevin De Bruyne who suffered a hamstring injury in the weekend win over Tottenham Hotspur that came just days after a dramatic Champions League semi-final loss to Spurs ended hopes of a quadruple.

It is the latest problem to hamper the Belgian in a campaign that has seen him plagued by knee trouble and Guardiola said De Bruyne would required a concerted training programme ahead of next season.

“Muscular problems, he had two or three,” recalled Guardiola.

“In England you don’t have time to make a preparation.

“You play every three days that is not the best way. You have to make a good pre-season. Now he has to pay attention, the little details, see if he can play one or two more games this season and next season make a good pre-season.”

Meanwhile Guardiola denied claims that winger Riyad Mahrez — the club’s £60 million ($78 million, 69 million euros) record signing from Leicester last season — is unhappy at his lack of first-team opportunities and keen to move on from City.

“Riyad will be with us for the next season here and the next one and the next one,” he said.

“I don’t need to speak with him. He will be with us next season,” the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss added. “He is a player for us. We are delighted with him and the way he plays.

“He is happy we are here. Everyone knows the competition we have here. He came last season to stay longer. It is not necessary to speak to him.”

Solskjaer, talking before the crucial Manchester derby between the sides at Old Trafford on Wednesday, made reference to City’s supposed habit of fouling high up the field to stop opponents hitting them on the break if Guardiola’s players are out of position.

But City boss Guardiola did not take kindly to that analysis and appeared to accuse Solskjaer of trying to influence referee Andre Marriner, who will take charge of the derby.

“That’s the reason why, of course,” said Guardiola when asked if he was concerned Solskjaer’s comments might be intended to influence the referee.

“I know exactly what I said to my players from day one to the last day.

“So when a player wants to attack, we have to be honest and, of course, there is contact, there are fouls.

“But when it happens and you arrive late, that is why there are referees — to make yellow cards or red cards or whatever they decide, but never have I prepared a game (to do it).

“I prepare the game to do our own game, that is what I want, knowing of course the opponent, but I never said I’m going to do that to punish them or cancel them, making fouls. Never.”

Solskjaer is not the first United manager to make a similar claim about City in the Guardiola era — his predecessor Jose Mourinho having made an identical observation before a derby meeting last season.

But the bare statistics tend not to support Solskjaer’s claims as figures show United have collected 64 yellow cards this season, compared with City’s 38, with four reds for United, in contrast to their rivals’ solitary dismissal.

– ‘Ask him again’ –

In terms of fouls, United have committed 201, considerably more than City’s 172, and Guardiola’s outraged reaction appeared to support such a reading of the situation.

“I never prepare a game in 10 seasons as a manager thinking about these kind of things. Never,” he said.

“The players can talk about it better than me about that — the players I had at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and here — one of the targets is about the counter attacks for the opponents making fouls, never have I said to one player to make fouls to avoid something.

“Football sometimes you do that, because football, the actions is quick, fast.

“But I’m concerned about many other things to beat them than these kind of things so I don’t know.

“Maybe tomorrow in the press conference after the game you can ask him again about that.”

Guardiola, however, is wary of the threat posed by United to City’s Premier League title ambitions.

City are two points behind leaders Liverpool and the Manchester derby represents their vital game in hand.

The Spaniard knows United’s under-performing stars could suddenly hit form as Solskjaer’s team battle to finish in the top four after a disappointing recent run.

But the fact that Guardiola likened such a potential upset to Burnley’s achievement in drawing at Chelsea on Monday spoke of the extent to which United have ceased to be a viable challenger to City’s superiority.

“Well the tension is there, it’s necessary to complete these kind of games,” he said.

“I think everyone knows what we are playing for, we have to focus on the target and what we have to do.

“For me, United remains an incredible team, of course, the last 20 or 25 years always there. The past three or four, that can happen in terms of a long history.

“For one specific game, they would be dangerous. I know in the beginning how strong they’ll be in terms of intensity and we’ll have to handle it.”

The 23-year-old South Korean won last month’s LPGA Founders Cup, captured her first major crown earlier this month at the ANA Inspiration and could claim her third title in five starts this week at par-71 Wilshire Country Club.

Ko jumped atop the rankings with her major win at Rancho Mirage, but is philosophical about her breakthrough.

“It’s really an honor to be number one,” Ko said. “But anyone can climb to the number one, so that’s just a number.”

Some chase the dream of world number one from childhood, but Ko was not among them even as she idolized such South Korean stars as Park In-bee and Ryu So-yeon and practiced with her father.

“I grew up, maybe 10, 11 years old, and I’m looking at Grace Park or Jiyai Shin and Hee Kyung Seo or So Yeon, Inbee as well,” Ko said. “They are the players. I’m just amateur, so I want to try. I need a little bit more practice.

“So I had lots of practice with my father. My father was boxer, so hard always.”

Ko stresses being happy as a key to her recent success, calling golf “a really small thing in my life” but adding “and then out of my personal life always happy.”

Asked what makes her happy, Ko said, “family and my dog and God and friends and food,” in that order. Her dog Daebak remains in South Korea, so wasn’t with her when she took a trip to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon after her Inspiration title.

“After ANA I go to Grand Canyon and then some canyons. I don’t know names. A lot,” she said. “Monument Valley something and then a lot. But I was able to confirm that there was a God. Really amazing in Grand Canyon. Really amazing.”

Ko was a runner-up defending her title at the Women’s Australian Open in February and last month’s Kia Classic and third in the HSBC Women’s World Championship but only shared 17th at last week’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii.

Her best US finish last year was second at LA and she’s glad to be back.

“I’m happy always playing in LA — lots of Korean fans and then lots of Korean food,” she said. “Also weather is really perfect. Course condition is amazing. Everything is good. I’m looking for good position in the tournament.”

The 29-year-old, who won the event for his third Asian Development Tour (ADT) title last year, tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while making his third appearance at The Masters in Augusta two weeks ago.

The Thai No 1 is keeping up his spirits, however, and hoping to put his injury troubles behind him at The Empire Hotel and Country Club, where he dominated a talented field by going wire-to-wire to win by six shots last year.

“My injury isn’t going well actually,” revealed the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit Champion.

“I damaged one of the tendons in my knee and I couldn’t bend down and read my line on the green. I will try and swing softly this week and ensure that I can make it through four rounds.”

Despite having to soldier on with the injury, Kiradech remains hopeful of a successful title defence in the popular event, which is returning for its second consecutive edition on the region’s secondary circuit.

“It is always a great time for me in Brunei, being surrounded by great people and playing on an amazing golf course. I’m certainly grateful for the opportunity to be back,” he said.

“I played yesterday and I remembered the special memories from winning last year which set me up for a great season.”

The event was a springboard for Kiradech, who went on to earn playing rights on the PGA Tour for the 2018/19 season, becoming the first Thai player to achieve the feat.

Kiradech, world-ranked 42, will headline a talented 144-men field which also features fellow Thais Prom Meesawat and Itthipat Buranatanyarat, as well as more than 20 ADT champions, including Miguel Carballo of Argentina, plus Japanese duo Kazuki Higa and Naoki Sekito.

Prom, a two-time Asian Tour winner who represented Thailand with Kiradech at the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne last November, hailed the growth of the ADT which has been providing a strong platform for the region’s aspiring talents to hone their skills.

“It’s a pretty strong field this week with Kiradech and a couple of good players competing,” he said. “I think it is really good for a tournament on the ADT to have top players playing and I know it will be strong challenge for the trophy this week.

“The ADT helps develop young talent and it’s good to see all these young guys coming up. I have been there before and the more you play the more you are able to handle the stress of playing bigger events.”

American Austen Truslow, who topped the class at the 2019 Asian Tour Qualifying School in December last year, hopes to stay cool in the heat as he takes aim at putting up a strong performance on his Brunei debut.

“I have struggled with the heat in Asia, especially playing in Penang last week. I didn’t do too well taking care of myself and I wasn’t able to perform at my best. I hope to manage that better this week,” said Truslow, who is known for chipping with one hand.

Other notable players England’s Stephen Lewton and Thailand’s Pannakorn Uthaipas, ranked fifth and sixth on the current Merit standings.

The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.

All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive at least six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.