Chinese Super League Comprehensive: Guoan’s Loss to Meizhou Harbor and Victory over Wuhan
On the 12th, the 16th round of the 2023 Chinese Super League began with 5 thrilling matches. In a surprising outcome, the Meizhou Hakka team defeated the Beijing Guoan team with a score of 3:1. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Seaport team secured another victory by triumphing over the Wuhan Three Towns team with the same score, maintaining their position at the top of the standings.
Playing at home, Meizhou Hakka confronted the experienced Beijing Guoan team. In the 19th minute, Conrad of Meizhou Hakka skillfully placed a shot into the far corner of the penalty area, breaking the deadlock and giving his team the lead. In the 31st minute, Ru Zinan executed a smart return pass, allowing Conrad to unleash a powerful shot and secure another goal. The first half concluded with a 3-goal lead for Meizhou Hakka after Guoan goalkeeper Han Jiaqi accidentally deflected a shot from Rodrigo into his own goal in stoppage time. In the second half, Beijing Guoan managed to pull back a goal with Wang Ziming’s successful strike in the penalty area during the final stages of the match.
Meanwhile, in the home game of the Shanghai Haigang team against the Wuhan Three Towns, a red card became pivotal in determining the game’s outcome. Towards the end of the first half, Ren Hang of Wuhan Three Towns brought down Caron while defending, resulting in two yellow cards and subsequently a red card, leading to his expulsion from the game. During stoppage time, Wei Shihao from Wuhan Three Towns expressed dissatisfaction with a penalty decision while warming up on the sidelines, resulting in his own red card and subsequent dismissal.
In the second half, as time passed, Wuhan Three Towns encountered physical problems due to playing with one player less. In the 62nd minute, Li Shuai delivered a cross from the front court, allowing Li Shenglong to make a decisive strike and score the first goal of the match, giving Shanghai Haigang a 1:0 lead. Less than 5 minutes later, Li Shuai once again assisted with a cross, leading to a clearance from Wuhan Three Towns’ Micro Motion that inadvertently resulted in an own goal. Later, Wu Lei seized an opportunity in the penalty area and produced a solo goal. At the last moment, Aziz from Wuhan Three Towns scored a header, narrowing the gap. However, the Shanghai Haigang team ultimately secured a 3:1 victory.
In the other three games of the round, the Dalianers drew with Nantong Zhiyun with a score of 1:1, Qingdao Manatee defeated Shenzhen 5:0, and Zhejiang played out a 2:2 draw against Changchun Yatai. (Xu Dongyuan)