In the late afternoon of July 22, the 10th round of the 2022 season of the Central League kicked off with Jiangsu's north-south duo - Nantong Zhiyun and Kunshan - battling it out in Tangshan and Nanjing respectively. In the end, both teams beat their rivals with an outstanding 4-1 results to secure the top two positions in the Central League table.
△Jiangsu duo boasts in the Central League. Screenshots of the table show
Nantong Zhiyun met Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard in this round, and the team adopted the classic 442 formation. The starting goalkeeper was Shi Xiaodong, the backline was lined up with Wei Lai, Liu Wei, Ma Sheng and Song Haoyu, the midfield was occupied by Lei Wenjie, Yang Mingyang, Wang Jie and Jiang Zilei, and the foreigners Traore and Correa played as the strikers. Traore opened the scoring for his team in the 27th minute of the game, and then just five minutes later, he broke through again, scoring twice, giving Nantong Zhiyun a 2-0 lead going into the halftime break.
The match resumed in the 59th minute, another foreigner Correa also contributed to the goal, Nantong Zhiyun extended the lead 3-0. With a three-goal lead, Nantong Zhiyun began to adjust their lineup, with Gao Dalun replacing Jiang Zilei and Huang Jiaqiang replacing Wei Lai. The opponents equalized a goal in the 80th minute, but Nantong Zhiyun's player Huang Cong sealed the victory in the 90th minute, and finally Nantong Zhiyun won the game with a score of 4-1.
Kunshan took on Liaoning Shenyang City in this round, a team that suddenly gained momentum in the second half of the first phase of the Central League and jumped to the top of the league table. Facing a strong opponent, Kunshan sent out their main lineup, including former Jiangsu player Feng Boyuan, as well as foreigners Kovic and Berto, all of whom were dressed for the match. Ruan Yang and Chen Jie scored goals in the first half, and Liaoning Shenyang pulled one back in the second half, but Kovic scored two goals in 10 minutes at the end of the game to give Kunshan a 4-1 victory.
