October 4, Beijing time.
In the second round of the AFC Champions League Group J action, the
Wuhan Sanzhen suffered their first defeat in the AFC Champions League with a 1-3 defeat away to Pohang Iron Foot.
At the beginning of the match, Wuhan Sanzhen performed well, but eventually failed to escape the fate of defeat. Xie Pengfei's red card and Yan Dinghao's fatal error together became the "trigger" for the team's defeat. The once highly regarded "successor of Zheng Zhi" seems to be facing the challenge of regaining his former courage.
In the 54th minute, Yan Dinghao controlled the ball in the center of the field, but failed to pass it out at the first time, it was quickly stolen by Pohang players, and then launched a quick counterattack. Zeca seized the opportunity and scored with a shot, making the score 2-1 and dashing Wuhan Sanzhen's hopes of a 1-1 draw. It took less than 20 seconds for Pohang Tie to score, and it all started with a mistake by Yan Dinghao in the midfield. Throughout the game, Yan Dinghao was basically invisible except for a yellow card for a foul. As the center of Wuhan's midfield, Yan Dinghao's passing success rate was only 70%, and the accuracy of several long passes was outrageous. In the 67th minute, the overburdened Mian Takada finally replaced him.
This match actually epitomizes Yan Dinghao's recent situation. In the past month, Yan Dinghao's form has been unsatisfactory. In the first round of the AFC Champions League, he almost lost control of the midfield after coming on as a substitute, and in the final round of the tournament against Shandong Taishan, he was also in a slump, making a series of mistakes. After Stanciu's transfer, Wuhan Sanzhen had hoped that Yan Dinghao would be able to carry the flag in the midfield, but now that hope seems to have been dashed. I had thought that Yan Dinghao would have a second spring in his career by leaving the troubled land of Guangzhou Evergrande and joining Wuhan Sanzhen, however, the transfer did not save him from his slump. As we all know, in the season Guangzhou Evergrande won the Chinese Super League title in 2019, Yan Dinghao's performance was remarkable, serving as the core organizer of the team in many matches. At that time, as a rare organized midfielder in China, he was also known as Zheng Zhi's successor. However, in recent years, Yan Dinghao's development has not been satisfactory. After joining Wuhan Three Town this season, he only made two full-game appearances, and the rest of the time he was either on the bench or replaced early. Not only his performance, but his physical condition also seems to be drifting away from his peak. Now 25 years old, Yan Dinghao's national team career has so far been limited to his selection for the national training squad last year, and he has never represented the national team. Even during Yankovic's younger years, Yan Dinghao never got a chance to play for the national team, which may explain his current situation. If Yan Dinghao continues to play in his current form, the former successor of Zheng Zhi will have a long way to go before he is selected for the national team.
