Yan Xianggang
After a major reshuffling of the lineup at NTSU, their matchup with Super League rivals Kunshan FC drew an exclamation point on the first round of the Central League with a draw. It looked like Kunshan FC had the upper hand, however, more than half of the Kunshan players in the starting lineup were former Chinese Super League players, and captain Zhang Chenglin was a Chinese Super League battlefield warrior for Wuhan Zhuoer last season. However, will they be able to easily swallow the toughness of NTSU? Not really! NTSU has its own rock-solid veteran lineup.
In soccer, the key to resisting the strong with the weak is to be precise and efficient when counterattacking, and to hit the target at once. The counterattacking tactics of NTSU in this game were properly executed: utilizing two veterans, NTSU launched a quick counterattack in the first and second halves, and succeeded in harvesting two goals.
The first goal was assisted by that 33-year-old Bu Xin. His name may be reminiscent of his speed and breakthroughs, and in the first half he sent a ghostly pass from the left to disrupt Kunshan keeper Peng Peng, who was unable to make a save, allowing Ji Shengpan to break through with ease.
Bu Xin has scored double-digit goals in two consecutive seasons in Harbin Yiteng's Central League campaign, a goal-scoring efficiency that is rare among local players in the Central League, and perhaps matched only by Wu Lei, who played for Dongya in the Central League that year. Although Bu Xin's career in the Chinese Super League is not that long, his performance in the Central League club has always been solid, with nearly 40 goals and more than 50 assists.
In the second half, Yan Xiangguan, who replaced Bu Xin on the pitch, was once again in the spotlight. The 34-year-old has been an absolute leader in the Central League since 2015, when he moved from Guoan to North Sports University's predecessor North Control. So far, he has made around 150 regular season appearances in the Central League, picking up 32 goals and 38 assists, contributing a key strike for his team almost every two games.
For the second goal, Yan Xiangguan's contribution was as high as 80%. He showed his superb traditional skills in front of the field - suddenly accelerated to break through and continuously passed two Kunshan defenders. He then sent a low cross, skillfully avoiding the shoveling of his former teammate Yang Yun and sending an unstoppable shot for Wei Chaolun.
