Moment of passion! Beijing Guoan team celebrates the goal.
Against the backdrop of the Qatar World Cup, the 27th round of the Chinese Super League kicked off on November 25th. The visiting Beijing Guoan team beat Shanghai Shenhua 2-1 and had the last laugh in the "Beijing-Shanghai Battle".
confrontation
"Two Zhangs" fly together, Guoan's comeback
Beijing Guoan lost 0-2 to Shanghai Shenhua in the first round of the "Beijing-Shanghai Battle" this season, but captain Stanley knows the importance of the second round. He said before the match, "It's always exciting to play against a real rival, and Shenhua is a unique rival, so the Beijing-Shanghai match is very significant for our team." For this reason, the Guoan team has been preparing for the match on all fronts, with careful planning for the weather, venue and other details.
Chi Zhongguo, who returned from suspension, returned to the game, and Bai Yang replaced Yu Dabao, who was suspended in the previous round. Adebenelo returned to the starting lineup, partnering Zhang Yuning. However, torrential rain in Jinjiang seemed to make Guoan uncomfortable in the early stages of the match. Shanghai Shenhua took the lead in the 7th minute with a goal from Wang Yi.
As the rain subsided, Guoan gradually took control of the game. In the 54th minute, Zhang Xizhe's goal equalized the score. For Guoan No.10, it was not only a goal, but a historic moment - he scored 58 goals for Guoan in various matches, tying him with Bakambu for the top spot in the team's history, and becoming the first player in the team's history to score in 50 league matches.
After the two sides returned to the same starting line, Guoan's offense was on fire. In the 76th minute, Zhang Yuning completed the turnaround for his team, and the 2-1 victory gave Guoan 49 points, temporarily climbing to the fourth place in the table. But Stanley didn't pay much attention to the standings, "Keeping up the winning pace and winning every game is the most practical thing."
tactics
Stanley's risky tactics paid off.
Stanley believes that this is why the team failed to equalize in the first half. He expected, "I didn't expect the opponent to score so quickly. After taking the lead, it was easier for the opponents to contract their defense and it was difficult for us to find space to attack in the first half." During the halftime break, Guoan's coach emphasized the two penalty kick chances and asked his players to keep up the pressure because "we have to adopt some risky strategies."
The 2-1 victory left the entire team ecstatic, and Stanley particularly praised the team's performance throughout the process of falling behind, equalizing, and turning the game around, "We were like taut strings for those 90 minutes - a lot of pressure up front and unlimited space behind us, but in this high-risk situation, the team played 90 minutes at a at a high level, including the substitutes, and I would like to speak highly of all the players today."
