With the drums beating in the new season of the Central League, Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard was challenged in their debut, and after 90 minutes of fierce fighting, they were defeated by Meizhou Hakka with a score of 1-2. After a short break, Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard will face Zibo Cuju, their second round opponent in the Central League. This time, Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard is expected to break the drought for the first time in the new season and gain a valuable point.
Despite the defeat in the opening game, Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard showed a tenacious fighting spirit won the praise of many fans, with "defeat but not discouragement" to describe it more appropriate. Before the game, people did not have much expectation for the Xinjiang Snow Leopard to play with a full Chinese class, especially since the opponent, Meizhou Hakka, also has three foreign aiders and several former Chinese Super League stars.
However, Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard kept the game in doubt until the second half thanks to a solid performance by goalkeeper Aikramujiang, and eventually a strike by u23 player Muhameti brought the score to 1-2.
Throughout the game, Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard's local players and Meizhou Hakka's gap is not big, but the other side has a strong foreign center like Dumbya, Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard's back line has brought great pressure. Although Zibo Cuju also has two foreign aid, but the overall strength is far inferior to the Meizhou Hakka, the first round of the face of Zhejiang team will be 0-4 defeat, currently ranked at the end of the Central League.
Zibo Cuju's biggest problem is the lack of team bonding, as they are a team formed in a hurry, last season's squad from the Second Division has all been disbanded, and now the players are recruited on an ad hoc basis. In contrast, Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard to Xinjiang local players as the main force, despite the introduction of the new season 10 new aid, but also after nearly a month of integration, and Meizhou Hakka's first game reflects a good tacit understanding.
Pei Encai, head coach of Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard, commented on the first game, saying that despite the loss, the field was not ugly, and recognized the team's mental state.
Pei Encai emphasized that the team will face Zibo Cuju to fight for the win, and will not give up any chance to score, whether it is a strong or weak team. In order to get rid of the shadow of the first round of losses, Pei Encai and the team has been preparing for three days.
The first phase of the group stage of the Central League has five opponents and 10 games, Zibo Cuju is undoubtedly the easiest target for Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard to score at this stage, and I hope they can successfully take down their opponents and cheer for Xinjiang soccer!
