As the curtain fell on the 25th round of the China First Division League, Guangxi Pingguo Ha Rang started a fierce battle with Sichuan Jiuniu at home, with both sides going back and forth in the 90-minute match. However, the wind changed suddenly and Guangxi conceded three consecutive goals in the second half and lost 0-3. This crucial match almost declared that their dream of overtaking was dashed, and the plan of overtaking will suffer a setback in the next round at the earliest.
This match with Sichuan Jiu Niu is a battle of life and death with six points at stake. The only way to win is for Guangxi to keep the spark of overtaking. On the eve of the game, Guangxi announced the adjustment of the coaching team, Jiang Chen, who returned from vacation, formally said goodbye, Alihan took over as technical director, Du Zhenyu became assistant coach, and the brand new coaching team took full charge of the team. At the same time, captain Zhao Xuri and three other key players left the team at a critical moment.
Despite Sichuan Jiuniu's overall strength being slightly better, Guangxi didn't choose to play passive defense, they wanted to fight at home. In the first half, both sides created some scoring chances but failed to capitalize on them.
However, the second half saw a sudden change. In less than 10 minutes, Sichuan Jiuniu took a 2-0 lead thanks to a goal by Gisen, and in the 72nd minute, a shot by Garcia increased the score to 3-0. Despite Guangxi's efforts to save face, Sichuan Jiuniu's defense was solid, and Guangxi eventually lost 0-3 at home.
After this game, Sichuan Jiuniu leads the Central League table with 54 points, followed by Qingdao West Coast with 51 points. Guangxi is in fifth place with 43 points, eight points away from Qingdao West Coast.
With only five rounds left in the league, Guangxi's prospects for overtaking the league are not optimistic. The gap between them and Qingdao West Coast in terms of mutual performance is obvious, and the dream of overtaking the league will be completely dashed as early as after two rounds. It is rare in China's first division history that a champion fails to make it to the top in the first half of the league.
If you miss this opportunity, Guangxi team next season will be even more difficult road to the Super League. After all, the team's top scorer An Yongjia's stay is in doubt. When Guangxi can usher in the first Chinese Super League team, this is still an unanswered question.
