In the 16th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) on July 12, Meizhou Hakka beat Beijing Guoan 3-1 at home with a great goal from Conrad and back-to-back games from Rodriguez, achieving back-to-back victories for the second time this season, and now standing at 11th place in the league.
Passionate Meizhou Hakka players
With the resumption of the home-and-away system in the Chinese Super League, the atmosphere at Meizhou's home ground is as warm as a festival in Wuhua County. Huitang Stadium has been fully open for Zone B stands since the Battle of Chengdu, and Wuhua County has even provided free buses for fans to enjoy the convenience.
Before the game, the World Cup theme song We Will Rock You in the exciting melody, accompanied by dazzling lights, fans hand shaking red bracelets, Huitang Stadium, "Meizhou cheer", "Meizhou will win" chants rise and fall. At halftime, cell phone flashes lit up the entire stadium. Meizhou singers pushed the atmosphere to its peak with songs such as "Spring River".
The game is in full swing
Amidst the cheering of the fans, Meizhou Hakka presented their best form of the season. Facing the more powerful Guoan, captain Shi Liang returned to the starting lineup, and coach Milan lined up the strongest lineup, with four foreigners Rodriguez, Kosovic, Dugaric and Konrad flying in unison, and Konrad and Rodriguez spreading their wings together. Newcomer Konrad, after his first assist in the previous round, showed his skills again in this round.
In the 19th minute, Conrad took a shot from the left side of the field and the ball was refracted into the net, which was his first goal after joining the team. In the 32nd minute, Meizhou team backfield long pass, RuZiNan heel pass, Konrad follow up shot, Meiju two. In the first half of extra time, Rodriguez broke through on the right, Han Jiaqi inadvertently own goal, Meizhou basically locked the game.
Rodriguez had been suspended for five rounds after irrational behavior left the team in trouble. After his return from suspension, he scored in two consecutive games to complete his redemption. After scoring, Rodriguez celebrated with a backflip, and the fans at the scene boiled over. In the second half, Guoan changed to strengthen the attack, but Meizhou goalkeeper Cheng Yuelei played valiantly, and finally held the victory, Prince Ming's goal in the 85th minute for Guoan to save face.
Newcomer Conrad conquered the Meizhou fans with two goals and one assist in three games. Coach Milan praised the Dutch striker for accelerating the team's offense, "He's physically tough, can control the ball in front of the field, plays a connecting role, scores efficiently, and scores two out of three shots."
Faced with an intensive schedule, the Milan coach put out his strongest lineup. He said that the game was risky but fortunately turned into a disaster. The players risked injuries to fight and executed their tactics perfectly, which was the best first half of the season. He also thanked the fans for their support, saying that without them it would have been difficult to win back-to-back matches. The team was at a low point before the league break, but now the form and morale are improving. The defense has improved, but the task of relegation is still heavy. He will adopt a rotation tactic to ensure the team successfully accomplishes the target. It is reported that the fifth foreign aid will be in place soon, which is expected to solve the team's striker problem.
