1: Tough! Nantong Jiyun lost in this crucial matchup!
In the 26th round of the Chinese Super League, Nantong Zhiyun met Qingdao Hainiu on the road, a crucial match for both sides. Before the match, Qingdao Hainiu was in 13th place with 23 points, only 4 points above the relegation zone, and the situation was precarious. Nantong Zhiyun, on the other hand, is in the second last place with 19 points, and although they are tied with Dalian Ren, they have a lot to lose.
Dalian People won a crucial point on the road to relegation with a resilient victory over Shandong Taishan in an early round of matches. This point directly pushed Nantong Zhiyun into the relegation abyss. Therefore, if Nantong Zhiyun wants to get rid of the relegation crisis, they should at least make sure that Qingdao Hainiu doesn't lose.
At the beginning of the match, Nantong Zhiyun started their offense quickly despite being on the road. Qingdao Hainiu, on the other hand, adopted a 541 formation to solidify their position with defense. Facing the tight defense of Qingdao Hainiu, Nantong Zhiyun could not find an effective way to score. Although they created some threats, their overall performance was mediocre.
Meanwhile, Qingdao Hainiu launched a sharp counterattack while waiting for their opponents to slacken. Striker Kang Gua and his teammates created frequent threats and scored two hat-tricks. With the lead, Qingdao Hainiu didn't need to worry about offense, while maintaining their defensive stance. However, Nantong Zhiyun could not find a good chance to break through in the unfavorable situation. Song Wenjie's precise shot ended the suspense of the game.
Qingdao Hainiu reached 26 points after the win, 7 points ahead of the relegation zone. With only one more win, they will be close to 30 points and will be relegated without any worries. In the remaining schedule, Qingdao Hainiu still has two home games, another three or four points is not difficult, relegation situation is basically clear.
However, Nantong Zhiyun is in a very different situation. The next four games are full of challenges. Shanghai Port and Meizhou Hakka on the road, and Shanghai Shenhua and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger at home, the chances of winning are very few, and even may not be able to get anything. Therefore, this round of games against Qingdao Hainiu is the easiest game, but unfortunately, Nantong Zhiyun failed to seize the opportunity.
Meanwhile, Nantong Zhiyun's direct rivals, Dalian People, have to face Guoan, Wuhan Sanzhen and Shanghai Port despite a tough schedule. They also have a game against Qingdao Hainiu, who are no longer under relegation pressure. Wuhan Sanzhen also have to deal with the AFC Champions League and can't go all out. Dalian was expected to perform a miracle against Shandong Taishan in the last round, and the other opponents are not unbeatable either. Xie Hui's team has always been able to inspire a strong desire for survival at critical moments, something that Nantong Zhiyun can hardly match.
As a result, Nantong Zhiyun's fate was basically finalized after losing this crucial battle against Qingdao Hainiu. After the game, head coach Gabriele seemed to realize the severity of the situation and could only shake his head helplessly as the assistants around him continued to comfort him.
The result has been decided, and many fans have said that Taishan team would like to see this result the most. This mainly stems from a series of clashes that occurred during Taishan's away challenge to Nantong Zhiyun. During the match, referee Li Haixin awarded Jia Desong a red card only 15 minutes into the match. Subsequently, Shandong Taishan had a number of rough actions during the game, such as shoveling Moises and Li Yuanyi nearly equalizing the score, which the referee ignored.
Originally, Taishan team thought that there was unfairness in the referee's decision, but the irrational behavior of Nantong Zhiyun fans angered Taishan team fans. After the game, they besieged the Taishan team's bus, broke the glass, hurt people and other controversies. These controversial behaviors directly angered the Taishan fans.
After the match, many soccer celebrities also expressed their doubts about Nantong Zhiyun's behavior. They couldn't understand why a promoted horse would do such an aggressive behavior. Since then, whenever Nantong Zhiyun played, Taishan fans would vent their dissatisfaction during the live broadcast. Now that Nantong Zhiyun is on the verge of relegation, Taishan fans are naturally relieved.
However, there are still four games ahead. Despite the tough schedule, our destiny is still in our own hands. Even if the road ahead is full of thorns, we must bite the bullet and persevere to the end. If we give up, it will all be over.
