In the 14th round of the Chinese Super League, Chengdu Rongcheng hosted Beijing Guoan. In this battle, there is a flavor of "new king" and "old king" fight. As the oldest team in the Chinese Professional League, Beijing Guoan, the "always fighting for the first place" team, has long been in decline and is unable to compete for the title. On the other hand, Chinese Super League (CSL) newcomers Chengdu Rongcheng have gained rapid momentum. 2022 season, the first season of the CSL won the fifth place, with Shanghai Harbor ranked fourth, Zhejiang qualified for the AFC Champions League in third, 2023 season remains undefeated.
In the pre-match Chinese Super League standings, Chengdu Rongcheng ranked third with 7 wins, 6 draws and 27 points in 13 matches, 5 points behind the top of the table Shanghai Harbor, and 1 point behind the second Shanghai Shenhua with 1 less round of matches, which is expected to retain the qualification for the AFC Championship, and theoretically has the hope of competing for the title. Beijing Guoan 13 games 4 wins, 6 draws, 3 losses 18 points temporarily ranked seventh, there is no hope of winning the title, and it is not difficult to compete for the qualification of the AFC Champions League.
Chengdu Rongcheng started with a 343 formation, with Felipe Silva, Ackerson and Palacios forming the front three, midfielders Jin You, Gan Chao, Zhou Dingyang and Tang Miao, and a trio of center backs, Hu Rui Bao, Richard, Liu Tao and goalkeeper Zhang Yan. The total value of the starting 11 is 3.75 million euros.
Beijing Guoan started with a 442 formation, with Yu Dabao and Adeben Lo partnering the front line, a midfield of Bijiang, De Souza, Park Cheng and Gao Tianyi, a back four of Li Lei, Bo Yang, Ngadewu and Feng Boxuan, and goalkeeper Han Jiaqi. The starting 11 is worth a total of 5.45 million euros.
The match started with the home side Chengdu Rongcheng taking the lead. In the third minute, Han Jiaqi started to give the ball directly to Exxon, who sent out another cross. Gan Chao took a long shot which was parried by Han Jiaqi.
On 11 minutes, Li Lei was unable to hold on due to injury and was replaced by Zhang Chengdong.
In the 24th minute, Jin You's header wasn't far away in the face of a sustained wave of attacks from Beijing Guoan's front line. Adebenelo shot after a breakaway and Zhang Yan knocked the ball out. De Souza got the ball just outside the box and sent in a great cross. Bijang gets the ball and shoots in with one foot! Beijing Guoan 1 away game: 0 lead over Chengdu Rongcheng.
In the forty-third minute, Chengdu Rongcheng's corner kick from the right side was cleared first, and Gan Chao hit a threatening long-distance shot from outside the box, which was parried by Han Jiaqi.
In the 60th minute, Felipe's header was confiscated by Han Jiaqi on a cross from the left.
In the 70th minute, Chengdu Rongcheng's left corner kick was headed high by Felipe.
In the 80th minute, Felipe sent a great pass after a cross-court carry on the right, and Tang Xin shot far and wide.
In the end, Chengdu Rongcheng 0: A loss ended the undefeated season and the 27 rounds of undefeated in the Chinese Super League.
Chengdu Rongcheng, with 27 points from 14 matches, 7 wins, 6 draws and 1 loss, remains third in the Chinese Super League standings, 1 point behind Shanghai Shenhua, 6 points behind Shanghai Harbour, and only 1 point ahead of Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, who could fall out of the AFC Champions League at any time.
