GOALS from Alex Teixeira and Jo couldn’t save Jiangsu Suning as the Chinese big-spender crashed out of the AFC Champions League with a 2-2 draw against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Wednesday.

    In its final Group E game, Jiangsu’s Asian-record signing Teixeira canceled out Leonardo’s opener, and former Manchester City striker Jo made it 2-1 to the visitors after half-time.

    But Lim Jong-eun equalized for Jeonbuk on 68 minutes and it proved vital for the 2006 Asian champion from South Korea, which grabbed the point it needed to reach the last 16.

    It was heartbreak for Dan Petrescu’s Jiangsu, which splurged 50 million euros (US$57.5 million) on Teixeira and also splashed out on Jo and Chelsea’s Ramires in its bid for glory.

    It joins reigning champion Guangzhou Evergrande in exiting what has been a mixed campaign for Chinese teams, despite a world-leading spending spree.

    However, Shandong Luneng will fly the Chinese flag alongside Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Shanghai SIPG in the last 16 after it rounded off Group F with a 0-0 draw against Thailand’s Buriram United.(SD-Agencies)