On the evening of November 21, Beijing Guoan challenged Guangzhou City away from home in the 26th round of the 2022 Chinese Super League season. Guoan scored two goals in the first half and center back Yu Dabao was sent off with a red card in the second half. Playing with one less player, Guoan finally kept the lead and beat the opponent 2-1.
Guoan performed well in the first 10 rounds of matches, with 6 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss. Coach Stanley's concept of "high pressure" ball control has been deeply rooted in every player's mind. In the second round of the China FA Cup last Thursday, the team lost to the champion team Jingchuan Wenhui. Through psychological counseling, Stanley is focusing on the current round of the Chinese Super League match against Guangzhou City to rebuild confidence with stronger morale and better performance.
It was a battle. Facing Guangzhou City, the third-lowest team in the table, the country arranged the recently used 4231 formation: keeper Housen, defender Wang Gang, Memishevich, Yu Dabao and Nai Bijiang. Zhang Chengdong made his debut as a defensive midfielder, replacing Ji Zhongguo, who was suspended for four yellow cards. He was partnered by Gao Tianyi, and the three attacking forwards were Kang Xiangyu, Zhang Xizhe and Wang Ziming, who were the team's striker Zhang Yuning.
After the opening, Guangzhou City once attacked fiercely, while Guoan utilized the technical advantage to control the ball. In the fourth minute, Kang Xiangyou's precise right-channel cross was nodded in by Zhang Yuning for his 16th goal in the league this season, giving Guoan a 1-0 lead.
Trailing, Guangzhou City immediately launched a counterattack, with the two foreigners in front of the ball, Guilherme and Caldona, being the pivot of the team's offense. Guoan's high forcing in the front field led to Guangzhou City's midfielders' lack of support for the two foreigners, and it was difficult for the two to calmly hold the ball near the penalty area. In the 24th minute, Guoan utilized a break in front of the ball and Wang Gang assisted Jiang Xiang-0 to extend the score. From then on, Guangzhou City committed several fouls to delay Guoan's offense, and there was no rewrite of the score in the first half.
In the second half, Guangzhou City changed their attacking strategy by splitting the ball into two wings and then creating chances for the two wide players in front of them to directly enter Guoan's defense. In the 55th minute, Yu Dabao beat Cardona outside the box as the last defender and the referee gave him a straight red card. In order to stabilize the defense, midfielder Zhang Chengdong was pulled back into the defense and Guoan was forced to play one man short.
The numerically superior Guangzhou City team launched a furious attack in the last 20 minutes, with Stanley making a timely substitution for center back Park Yang to keep an eye on the opposing forwards. In injury time, Guoan was awarded a penalty for a handball in the penalty area and Guilherme's spot kick was pulled back a City. Guoan eventually won 2-1.
