Zhang Yuning's (right) brilliant performance helped Guoan break the record. icphoto
In the 26th round of the Chinese Super League on Nov. 21, Beijing Guoan arrived at the Jinjiang Football Training Center Stadium and narrowly defeated Guangzhou 2-1, successfully preventing the elimination of Chinese championship team Jingchuan Wenhui in the second round of the FA Cup.
Battle: Guoan in the red wins by a single goal
Facing the unexpected loss in the FA Cup, Beijing Guoan's match against Guangzhou City in this round of the league has become crucial. Coach Stanley said bluntly, "The FA Cup is a painful lesson and the whole team needs to learn from it. We understand that no matter how strong or weak the opponent is, every game is full of challenges."
Beijing Guoan bravely made a perfect start as Jinjiang welcomed the Chinese Super League for the first time. Just four minutes into the match, Zhang Yuning's header helped Guoan open the scoring. Jiang Xiangyou added a second in the 24th minute to extend the lead to 2-0. However, Guoan failed to capitalize on the victory. In the 55th minute, Yu Dabao was shown a red card for a foul on Canadeau, putting Guoan at a numerical disadvantage. In the following game, Guoan was threatened by their opponents many times, but fortunately Housen played bravely and solved the crisis one by one. In extra time, Cao Yongjing was fouled for a handball in the penalty area, and Gillil May scored from the penalty spot to bring the score to 1-2, but Guangzhou was still unable to reverse the situation.
POST-GAME: Stanley on the significance of the win
Despite winning three valuable points, Stanley was still dissatisfied with the course of the game: "The start was not good, and despite subsequent control, the offense was not efficient." Zhang Yuning and Kang Xiangyou's goals helped Guoan take the lead, and Stanley was more focused on the content of the game: "Our high-pressure defense didn't do enough, allowing the opponents to keep creating threats."
At halftime, Stanley cautioned his players to "stay tense and avoid slacking off after taking the lead." Yu Dabao's red card put Guoan in trouble in the second half. Stanley hoped that the win would serve as a lesson for the team, "I hope the players can continue to work hard when they are ahead and try to seal the win."
Fortunately for the team, the current pressure was eventually resolved with three points, "Today's win was crucial, otherwise we would have been under double pressure for the next game."
After the match, Guoan will stay in Jinjiang to prepare for the 27th round of the Chinese Super League on Nov. 25 against Shanghai Shenhua.
