On the night of November 21st, Beijing Guoan had a fierce duel with Guangzhou City on the road in the 26th round of the 2022 Chinese Super League. In the first half, Guoan scored two goals in quick succession, but in the second half, center back Yu Dabao was unfortunate to receive a red card and left the field. Despite playing with one man less, Guoan still managed to hold their ground and narrowly beat their opponents with a score of 2-1. Prior to this, Guoan had a strong performance in the first 10 rounds of the tournament, with a record of 6 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss. Coach Stanley's "high press" concept of ball control has taken hold. Although the team lost to champion Jingchuan Wenhui in the second round of the China FA Cup last Thursday, Stanley has been counseling his players to focus on the Chinese Super League match against Guangzhou City, with a view to revitalizing the team with better morale and performance. Facing Guangzhou City, who are in the bottom three of the table, Guoan still adopted the familiar 4231 formation. Goalkeeper Hou Sen, defender Wang Gang, Memishevich, Yu Dabao and Nai Bijiang formed the backline; Zhang Chengdong replaced Ji Zhongguo, who was suspended for a yellow card, and made his debut as a defensive midfielder, partnering with Gao Tianyi. Three attacking forwards, Jiang Xiangyou, Zhang Xizhe and Wang Ziming, make up the attacking group, supporting the team's striker Zhang Yuning. At the beginning of the game, Guangzhou City attacked fiercely, but Guoan took control of the ball by virtue of their technical superiority. In only the fourth minute, Jiang Xiangyou's precise pass from the right side of the road, Zhang Yuning grabbed a header to break the goal, for Guoan to achieve the 16th goal of the league this season, 1-0 lead. Trailing, Guangzhou City quickly launched a counterattack, with two foreigners, Guilherme and Caldona, becoming the key to the team's offense. The high pressure from Guoan's front field led to insufficient support from Guangzhou City's midfielders to the two foreigners, who struggled to get the ball near the penalty area with ease. In the 24th minute, Guoan broke the ball successfully and Wang Gang assisted Kang Xiangyou to extend the score. In the second half, Guangzhou City adjusted their tactics by distributing the ball to the two wings to create attacking opportunities for the two foreigners. In the 55th minute, Yu Dabao was broken by Caldona outside the penalty area and the referee showed a direct red card to penalize him. In order to stabilize the defense, midfielder Zhang Chengdong was pulled back into the defense, and Guoan was forced to play with one less player. Guangzhou City, who had the numerical advantage, launched an onslaught of attacks in the last 20 minutes, and Stanley replaced center back Bo Yang in time to strengthen the defense. In injury time, Guoan was awarded a penalty for a handball in the penalty area and Guilherme's spot kick was pulled back to a City. In the end, Guoan won a hard-fought 2-1 victory.
