On the afternoon of December 5, in the 29th round of the 2022 Chinese Super League, Beijing Guoan suffered two consecutive defeats with a 1-3 loss at home to the Darenians. After the match, Guoan head coach Stanley said, "It was a typical game - wanting to win but not being able to do so, losing a game we shouldn't have lost, and the whole team is very disappointed with the result."
Guoan's performance has fluctuated over the past five league matches, with three wins and two losses. In the last round, the team lost 0-2 to Zhejiang, then the whole team returned to Rizhao to prepare for the home game against Dalian Ren. Due to the team's recent travels to and from multiple tournaments and the fatigue associated with the games, many of the star players have suffered different injuries. Among them, the team's top scorer Zhang Yuning, who scored 17 goals this season, did not make the team roster.
Stanley used the 4231 formation that the team has been using lately: keeper Housen; Wang Gang, Yu Dabao, Bai Yang, and Nebijiang in the defense; an attacking midfield of Daburo, Zhang Xizhe, and Jiang Xiangyou, who partnered with Chi Zhongguo as a defensive midfielder with Memishevich's position in mind; and Ziming Wang, instead of Zhang Yuning, as a one-two striker.
At the start of the race, the temperature in Rizhao was only 4 degrees Celsius. degrees. Even though both Beijing and North are northern teams, they entered the game relatively slowly in these temperatures. In the opening stages of the game for both teams, the transition between offense and defense was slow. Zhang Yuning's absence left Guoan without an attacking pivot, and the midfielders were unable to get the wingers under cover of the centers. In the first half, Guoan had 73% possession and finished with six shots on goal, but didn't really threaten to score.
Dalian's striker Bosanjic and midfielder Tesonev were the centerpiece of the team's attack. After being passive in the first half, coach Xie Hui changed Lin Liangming's offensive ability at the start of the second half. The substitutes received a strange effect in the 49th minute when Fei Yu's free kick assisted Lin Liangming to break the deadlock with a header in the penalty area. Guoan fell behind 0-1.
After conceding the goal, the Nationals were in a brief panic. The players pursued the counterattack too fast, but more errors in passing. In the 76th minute, Lin Liangming kicked a "world wave" outside the penalty area, and the ball hung in the corner of the goal, 2-0, Dalian people to extend the lead. In the 88th minute, Guoan goalkeeper Housen fell down while clearing the ball, and Guoan veteran Lv Peng took the opportunity to make the score 3-0. In injury time, Qi China helped Wang Ziming to save face by scoring a goal. Guoan finally lost 1-3.
After the game Stanley said, "The whole team is disappointed with the result of the defeat. In the first half, the team was aggressive on offense and made a lot of small mistakes. This continued in the second half, especially when the other team took the lead. It was a typical game - I wanted to win, but I couldn't. Fortunately, the players didn't give up trying and scored together against the odds of being three goals down, which is something to be recognized."
Regarding the recent two consecutive losses, Stanley believes that the last game against Zhejiang consumed a lot, both physically and mentally. The team's overall record was good before the loss to Zhejiang, but the last round of defeats disrupted the team's rhythm. With an intensive schedule, there are bound to be injuries and games that don't go well. The most important thing is that the team is still working together, and I believe the team can come out of the shadows as soon as possible.
