At 10:00 pm Beijing time on May 4th, the curtain came down on the highly anticipated match between Beijing Guoan and Dalian Ren in the 3rd round of the Chinese Super League (CSL). With midfielder Zhang Xizhe's header and kicks in just two minutes in the second half, Beijing Guoan defeated Dalian Ren 2:0 and gained their first win of the season. Meanwhile, the Darenians became the first team in the Chinese Super League to suffer three consecutive defeats, after three matches, they have not scored a single point, becoming the only team in the Chinese Super League to have no income.
Before this match, Beijing Guoan has suffered two consecutive defeats, and the team's manager Bilic felt the crisis of dismissal. In this 3rd round matchup against Dalian, Beijing Guoan has a valuable opportunity to grab points. In the previous six meetings, Beijing Guoan team kept all the wins, and the average goal difference is more than two goals.
During the match, Beijing Guoan continued its traditional fast and flexible style of play, albeit at a slower pace. This, coupled with Dalian's tight deployment of their defense, prevented both sides from scoring in the first half, resulting in a 0:0 draw. However, in the second half, Zhang Xunzhe, the core of Guoan's offense and the main attacker of the national team, was in a heroic state, scoring twice in two minutes with headers and kicks, which not only led the team to win the game, but also saved the team and relieved the manager Bilic.
As for the Dalian Ren, who lost three consecutive matches, team coach He Sai inherited Rafael Benitez's Youth Storm tactics as only one foreigner is in service. Although there is no direct relegation spot this season, He Sai took over the team and his position remains solid despite the three consecutive losses.
And tomorrow night, the Shanghai Derby, the 3rd round of the Chinese Super League's marquee match, is about to take place. Currently, both Shenhua and Harbor have two wins and two draws, accumulating six points. Tomorrow night's direct matchup could give birth to the first team to win three consecutive matches in the Chinese Super League this season.
