NANNING, China - Guangzhou Evergrande lost 3-0 to Vietnamese club Nam Dinh in the opener of the 2017 China-ASEAN Cities Football Invitational Tournament on Wednesday.

The four-day event attracted four top-flight clubs from China, Vietnam and Thailand, including China's Guangzhou Evergrade, Vietnam's Nam Dinh, Than Quang Ninh and Thailand's Pattaya United.

Guangzhou sent a squad of young players who barely made any appearance in the Chinese Super League (CSL), yet their loss to defending champion Nam Dinh still became sad moments for the home crowd.

In the other game on Wednesday, Pattaya United beat Than Quang Ninh 2-0.

The invitational is the second edition, a Grade A2 tournament recognized by FIFA, and the final will be held on Dec. 2.