In the 14th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL), Chengdu Rongcheng ushered in a summit match with Beijing Guoan. The match was like a competition between the "new king" and the "old king". Beijing Guoan, the former dominant team in China's professional league, although the ambition of "always fighting for the first place" is still the same, but the reality has made its dream of winning the championship gradually farther and farther away. Chengdu Rongcheng, as a new force in the Chinese Super League, has risen to the top of the league with a rapid momentum. 2022 season, Rongcheng made a stunning debut with a fifth-place finish, behind Shanghai Harbor and Zhejiang, and not only gained the qualification for the AFC Champions League, but also maintained a full winning record in the 2023 season.
In the table, Chengdu Rongcheng is in the third place with 27 points with 13 wins and 6 draws, only 5 points behind Shanghai Seaport, and the same points as Shanghai Shenhua, but with one less round to play. Theoretically, Chengdu Rongcheng is still in the running for the title. Beijing Guoan, on the other hand, with 4 wins, 6 draws and 3 losses, accumulated 18 points, temporarily ranked seventh, the dream of the championship is out of reach, but the qualification of the AFC Champions League is relatively easy to compete.
Chengdu Rongcheng's starting lineup was a 343 formation with Felipe Silva, Ackerson, and Palacios leading the front line, midfielders such as Jin You, Gan Chao, Zhou Dingyang, and Tang Miao were among the strongest players, the back line was manned by Hu Rui Bao, Richard, and Liu Tao, and the goalkeeper was Zhang Yan. The total value of the starting 11 is up to 3.75 million euros.
For Beijing Guoan, the starting lineup is a 442 formation, with Yu Dabao and Adeben Lo partnering in the forward line, midfielders Bijiang, De Souza, Park Sung, and Gao Tianyi, and a backline made up of Li Lei, Park Yang, Ngadew, and Feng Boxuan, with Han Jiaqi in goal. The total value of the starting 11 is 5.45 million euros.
As the game started, Chengdu Rongcheng was the first to attack. In the third minute, Han Jiaqi played the ball directly to Eckerson, but Eckerson's cross was parried away by the opposing goalkeeper.In the 11th minute, Li Lei left the field due to an injury, and Zhang Chengdong came on as a substitute.
In the 24th minute, a header from Rongcheng midfielder Jin You came close against a sustained attack from Guoan. Adebenelo grabbed a breakaway and shot on goal, but it was parried out by Rongcheng goalkeeper Zhang Yan. De Souza then fired a brilliant long-distance shot from outside the box, which was followed up by Bijang, making Guoan 0:1 Rongcheng.
Although Rongcheng continued to press in the second half, Guoan managed to keep the score thanks to their solid defense and excellent counterattacking ability. In the end, Chengdu Rongcheng lost this crucial match with a score of 0:1, thus interrupting their undefeated season and ending their 27 rounds of undefeated streak in the Chinese Super League.
Nonetheless, Chengdu Rongcheng is still in third place in the table, one point behind Shanghai Shenhua, six points behind Shanghai Harbor and one point ahead of Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, and theoretically still has a chance to qualify for the AFC Champions League.
