The aftermath of the Dragon Boat Festival is not yet over.
China Super League (soccer league)
The league is about to start again, and on the night of June 28th, Henan will face Cangzhou Lions on the road, which will officially open the curtain of the "Summer Campaign". With a tight and brutal schedule of matches coming up, the team's injury problems have improved significantly, and the players are back in a more complete state!
China Super League (soccer league)
Racecourse.
Double happiness at the Dragon Boat Festival
Henan team played consecutively during the Dragon Boat Festival vacation and won on June 22nd and 23rd. They beat Hunan Xiangtao, a team in the second round of the AFC Cup, with 1:0 on the road, successfully advancing to the round of 16; in the internal warm-up match, they beat the U21 ladder team with 2:0. Although facing a comparable or slightly inferior opponent, Henan's victory was not surprising. However, the team did not show an overwhelming advantage during the match. Head coach Sarko also frankly pointed out the team's shortcomings after the AFC Cup match. Thankfully, during the nearly three-week break, injured players generally recovered, providing security for the lineup after the league restarted.
In the F.A.C.A. Cup, due to the restriction of foreign players, Sarko sent out a full Chinese team while hiding a number of starters, aiming to give the substitutes a chance to show their talents. In this game, goalkeeper Peng Peng made his debut for Henan and performed well. Striker Song Runtong, who has not had many chances to play before, scored a key goal for the team, while Zhao Yuhao and Dilimurati, who have been suffering from injuries for a long time, also made their debuts, with Zhao Yuhao wearing the captain's armband. Substitute players Liu Jiahui, Han Dong and Liu Yixin also entered the starting lineup. Niu Ziyi, who missed the first 12 rounds of the tournament due to injury, also made a substitute appearance in the game, showing good physical condition.
The day after the AFC Cup match, Henan returned to Zhengzhou from Loudi and played an open warm-up match with the U21 ladder team at the Aviation Sports Center, attracting more than 500 fans to watch the match. From this game, it can be seen that Salko intends to further sharpen the main lineup, with goalkeeper Wang Guoming, defenders Shuniqi, Gu Cao, Luo Xin, Ke Zhao, and strikers Feng Boyuan and Kovic all appearing in the game. In the midfield, the much-anticipated new foreigner Berto and trialist inside back Lai Tenglong appeared on the left and right respectively, while Adrian and Du Zhixuan were also involved together. Wang Shangyuan came on as a substitute late in the second half, while the previously injured Huang Zichang also came on in the second half.
Perhaps due to the hot weather, the match was dull and the pace of offense and defense was slow. Facing the young players, the first team did not show obvious advantages, but was threatened by the U21 team to launch several counterattacks. Berto and Lai Tenglong's performance was mediocre. However, Feng Boyuan and Huang Zichang, two players who have not appeared in the F.A.C.A. Cup, showed excellent shooting skills, with Feng Boyuan scoring a header in the first half, and Huang Zichang locking up the win. Huang Zichang, in particular, still showed a quick and sharp style after recovering from his injury, and his comeback will undoubtedly improve the team's attacking rhythm. The timely return of the two will help reduce the pressure on Covic in the attacking line before the summer campaign.
Karanga's future a mystery
A video released by Karanga of his return to Zhengzhou after the league break attracted a lot of attention, with Henan fans expecting the striker to return in the second phase of the league. Although Karanga could theoretically play at any time, that hope seems far-fetched at the moment.
On the one hand, although Karanga has returned to Zhengzhou, the club has not issued any official statement, and he himself did not participate in the team's normal training, and did not show up in the Airsport in the warm-up match with the U21s, which is obviously not in line with the normal state of preparation for the league. On the other hand, Sarko's old man, Portuguese Berto, has been training with the team for some time and made his debut in the warm-up match. Karanga has been enrolled before, and together with Berto, Henan's foreigners have reached 6. According to the policy of reporting 5 on 4, attrition seems inevitable. In this case, Berto, who is trusted by Sarko, seems more likely to stay.
However, things are not without turnaround. As the second transfer window approaches, rumors about the player's stay and departure have emerged. The news that Sichuan Rongcheng was interested in loaning Adrian to replace the season-ending central midfielder Romulo, though still a rumor, seemed reasonable. There was also no sign of foreigner Pina in the warm-up match on the 23rd. Exactly which foreigner will leave will have to wait until the transfer window opens on July 1st to be revealed.
In addition, besides Lai Tenglong, another trialist domestic player Zhang Yuhao also made his debut in the U21 team's match. The 26-year-old from Shenhua's youth training program has previous experience of staying abroad, having played in Spain's lower leagues. The future of the two players will also not be clear until July. (Zhengwang News reporter Guo Taoliu / article Bai Tao / picture)
