Graziano Pelle scored his first goal of the season as Shandong Luneng missed the chance to move back into second place in the Chinese Super League, being held to a 1-1 draw by Chongqing Lifan on Sunday.
Italy international Pelle, without a goal in five previous appearances, struck in the 82nd minute to cancel out Fernandinho's 28th-minute opener as Shandong moved to within three points of leaders Guangzhou R&F.
"The only beautiful thing about this match was that Pelle finally scored," coach Felix Magath said. "It was crucial for him and for our team.
"Today all our shots were taken by Pelle. He showed his advantages. He is good at receiving, protecting and passing the ball and he is tactically an important player."
Magath said he felt his side had been the better, especially after the break and added: "We did much better and created lots of chances. Unfortunately, out of so many chances we only scored one. I have to say we lost two points today."
The draw takes Shandong to 13 points from six games, three behind R&F, who defeated Jiangsu Suning on Friday to maintain their place at the top.
They are fourth, level on points with Shanghai SIPG and Guangzhou Evergrande.
Earlier in the day, Changchun Yatai moved off the bottom of the table with a 3-1 win over Yanbian Funde.
The result leaves Jiangsu Suning, last season's runners-up in both the league and FA Cup, propping up the table with two points.