Striker O'Connor bagged again for Blues in Beijing

Striker Garry O'Connor scored a late winning goal for the second game in succession as Blues made it two wins in two games on their Hong Kong/China tour.

In searing heat and humidity inside Beijing's spectacular Bird's Nest Stadium Alex McLeish's men had around50,000 Chinese fans in raptures as they backed up their 3-2 win over a Hong Kong select side three days earlier with another victory.

This time it was a 1-0 scoreline over Chinese Super League (CSL) team Beijing Guoan, who included former Rangers and Wolves man Maurice Ross in their side.

McLeish changed his side around a bit from the Hong Kong game, bringing Michel, Craig Gardner, David Murphy, Enric Valles and Nikola Zigic into the starting line-up.

And the latter, the giant 6ft 8ins Serbian frontman signed from Valencia recently, didn't fail to impress as part of a team effort that saw all of the players perform admirably in dehydrating conditions.

Goalkeeper Ben Foster, another new addition to the Blues squad, was in fine form throughout the game, playing the full 90 minutes and putting in a very solid performance.

After mascots from a disabled children's charity which is being supported by Blues during the tour (a percentage of ticket sales will go to the charity) had led the teams out the game got underway to a fanatical roar from the football-mad supporters.

Captain Stephen Carr holds aloft the trophy awarded for beating Beijing Guoan

Beijing got off to a flyer and Xu Liang had already seen a left-footed free-kick palmed behind for a corner by Foster before Martinez burst past Murphy and blasted an effort over the bar in the 13^th minute.

Blues rallied and 60 seconds later Valles sent over a deliciously tempting corner that was perfect for Roger Johnson. He'd positioned himself in a prime spot just inside the area but his header was straight at keeper Yang Zhi.

Valles gets stuck in

At this point the hosts still looked the liveliest and Nei shot narrowly wide, slipping as he did so, from eight yards after being played in by Martinez.

But all that was about to change as Blues stepped up a gear and started to show their Barclays Premier League class.

With 21 minutes gone Keith Fahey sent over a delightful cross from the right and Zigic used his tall frame to get to the ball first and arrow a header towards the top corner. Sadly though, it cannoned back off the crossbar.

Six minutes later the Serb was at it again as he picked up a loose ball just inside the Guoan box and instinctively shot on the turn. Zigic was left scratching his head as the ball flew just a yard or so past the post.

Carr leapfrogs his man to win the ball

With 10 to go until the break Gardner lashed in a shot that Zhi turned behind and then the same player was involved in Blues' best chance of the first half, Murphy delivering a great ball from the left and Gardner's back post header from ten yards was somehow punched away by the goalie.

McLeish made four changes at the break, bringing on Scott Dann, Lee Bowyer, Seb Larsson and Garry O'Connor for Johnson, Ferguson, Fahey and Zigic, and there were to be more replacements throughout the half as the manager gave the majority of players valuable pre-season pitch time.

Larsson looked especially lively and worked his socks off in the heat and on 54 it was his arrowing free-kick from centre-field that found Ridgewell at the back post. The defender nodded the ball down superbly to Valles, standing close to the penalty spot, but he hooked his shot over.

Beijing then enjoyed a brief spell of pressure but Foster held on to two speculative efforts comfortably before Carr was harshly adjudged to have bundled over Martinez right on the edge of the box. The follow-up free-kick from Griffiths was stunning but the save from Foster even better as he pushed the ball onto the bar.

Phillips and Larsson at presentation time

On 68 Larsson let fly with a shot from a central position 25 yards out and the ball narrowly flew past the goalkeeper's right-hand post.

As time ticked away Blues pressed for the winner. With just over ten minutes left O'Connor fired high and wide from 20 yards, before Ross gave the ball away to O'Connor who fed Jerome on the left. But his shot flew over too.

With just eight minutes left the winning goal arrived, courtesy of another very clinical O'Connor strike. Jerome wove some space inside the penalty area and his low shot was saved but it bounced back to the Blues man and he cleverly laid it off to his right to O'Connor, who calmly slotted a low effort past the keeper and in at the far post from 12 yards.

19-year-old midfielder Mutch in action

There was still time for a Ridgewell header to hit the post from a Larsson corner before Jerome had the ball in the net when he headed home Dann's lovely left-hand side cross but the ref had blown for pushing inside the box and given the home side a free-kick.

On 86 Griffiths had a low shot saved as Beijing looked to equalise but at the other end Blues troubled again from another Larsson corner, this time O'Connor's goal-bound header squirming narrowly wide off a defender.

So Blues maintained their 100 per cent record in the Far East but, perhaps more importantly, manager McLeish will be delighted with his squad's effort in such hot conditions.

Blues: Ben Foster, Stephen Carr (C) (Stuart Parnaby 70), Roger Johnson (Scott Dann 46), Liam Ridgewell, David Murphy, Craig Gardner (Kevin Phillips 70), Michel (Cameron Jerome 63), Barry Ferguson (Lee Bowyer 46), Keith Fahey (Seb Larsson 46), Enric Valles (Jordon Mutch 63), Nikola Zigic (Garry O'Connor 46). Unused subs: Maik Taylor, Fraser Kerr.

Beijing Guoan: Yang Zhi (Zhang Sipeng 46), Yao Shuang (Lu Jiang 46), Maurice Ross, Yu Yang (Wang Ke 61), Martinez (Hu Qiling 75), Darko Matic (Yang Hao 46), Xu Liang (Xue Fei 83), Wang Changqing (Du Wenhui 46), Zhu Yifan (Yang Yun 65), Baggio (Wu Hao 61), Nei (Griffiths 46). Unused subs: Lang Zheng.

Goals: O'Connor (82)