On October 9, at 19:30 Beijing time, the night was low and the passion was on at Huadu Stadium, where Guangzhou and Meizhou Hakka faced off in the 22nd round of the 2022 Chinese Super League season.
Shortly after the opening goal, Kosovic nearly broke the deadlock when his long-range shot hit the post. However, Yang Yilin broke the silence for Meizhou Hakka with a precise pad shot and Vukanovic then extended the lead. Guangzhou had a chance to get a goal back before the break, but Vukanovic's second goal tipped the scales.
In the second half, Yang Liyu picked a goal for Guangzhou, but could not reverse the situation. In the end, Guangzhou lost 1-3 to Meizhou Hakka at home, and failed to win for 7 consecutive rounds.
Prior to the match, Guangzhou ranked third from the bottom of the Chinese Super League with 12 points and were deep in the relegation zone, while Meizhou Hakka ranked 8th with 30 points and were in good form. In this match, Artemisia led Guangzhou's starting lineup, with Wei Shihao and Yang Liyu partnering in the offense; while Meizhou Hakka sent out four big foreigners, Rodrigo, Kosovic, Vukanovic, and Dugalic.
The match was full of exciting moments. In the 13th minute, Ru Zinan fired a shot over the crossbar from the front of the penalty area. In the 18th minute, Kosovic shot a powerful arrow from the left side of the penalty area, hitting the crossbar and bouncing out. In the 24th minute, Meizhou Hakka broke the deadlock, Rodriguez's strong pass, Yang Yilin's goal cushion broke the goal, 1-0! In the 33rd minute, Vukanovic added another goal, Meizhou Hakka 2-0 lead.
In the second half, Guangzhou continued to make substitutions in an attempt to turn the game around. In the 69th minute, Yang Liyu picked the ball and scored, reducing Guangzhou's deficit 1-2. In extra time, Vukanovic scored a solo goal to seal Meizhou Hakka's 3-1 win.
The starting lineups for both sides are as follows:
Guangzhou's starting lineup: 19-Zhang Jianzhi, 5-Wu Shaocong, 44-Rong Hao, 6-Li Yang, 15-Yan Dinghao, 34-Hou Yu, 46-Artemisia Junmin, 7-Wei Shihao, 17-Yang Liyu, 18-Fan Hengbo, 40-Tan Kaiyuan
Meizhou Hakka starting lineup: 22-Hou Yu, 6-Liao Junjian, 15-Chen Zhechao, 20-Dugalić, 29-Ru Zinan, 7-Guo Yi, 13-Shi Liang, 19-Yang Yilin, 25-Rodrigo, 27-Kosovic, 9-Vukanovic
