[Zheng Zhi's debut] After years of anticipation, the Guangzhou team has finally opened the chapter of the full Chinese class, and no foreign players.
In the first round of the second stage of the 2021 Chinese Super League's title contenders' group, Beijing Guoan beat Guangzhou by a slim 1-0 margin on the evening of 13th Beijing time, courtesy of Zhang Yuning's brilliant 82nd-minute header goal, leaving new coach Zheng Zhi unable to get off to a winning start in the first match of his coaching career.
[Zhang Yuning scored the winning header] Guangzhou's strength has slipped due to the return of big-name foreigners and naturalized players, while Zheng Zhi took over as head coach after the departure of Cannavaro, and the showdown with Guoan was his debut.
Despite the fact that Guoan is still facing financial pressure after the return of powerful foreigners such as Augusto and Bieira, only one foreigner, Anderson Silva, was fielded in this campaign, and his mediocre performance eventually led to his replacement in the 85th minute.
[Key Goal] Until the 82nd minute, the opportunity arose from a corner kick on the left side of Guoan's team, and Zhang Yuning skillfully turned back to look at the moon and put the ball into the net, Guoan led Guangzhou 1-0.
[Passionate Exchange] After the match, Guoan manager Bilic had a passionate exchange with Zheng Zhi.
Bilic spoke highly of Zheng Zhi's performance: "When I exchanged ideas with Zheng Zhi, I expressed my love for the way they play, especially in the possession phase, how they pull away from their opponents. This style of play requires great determination, and fortunately, we all have that determination. I felt their thoughts and they showed brave soccer."
After this battle, Guoan moved up to fifth place in the Champions League standings, while Guangzhou stayed in fourth place. Meanwhile, Shandong Taishan beat Hebei 5-0 to continue leading the group with 36 points.
