On January 4, Beijing Guoan beat Shenzhen 1-0 in the final round of the second stage of the 2021 Chinese Super League to end the season with a victory. After 22 rounds of matches, Guoan won the fifth place in the league with a record of 9 wins, 6 draws and 7 losses, 26 goals and 28 goals conceded, and 33 points.
Guoan's victory ended
After defeating Guangzhou in the first round of the championship group, Guoan suffered 3 draws and 3 losses, and did not win in 6 consecutive rounds. In this game, they must beat Shenzhen to surpass their opponents and rank fifth in the league. Before the match, the team's main scorer Zhang Yuning was absent due to injury, and coach Bilic continued the 352 formation, but made adjustments to the lineup: goalkeeper Hou Sen and Liu Huan led two reserve team youngsters Liang Shaowen and Ruan Qilong as the three central defenders, Kim Tae-yan and Jiang Tao as wing-backs, Chi Zhongguo, Park Sung and Gao Tianyi sat in the midfield, and the front line was a new combination of Anderson Silva and Cao Yongjing.
The variables of this lineup are in Cao Yongjing, who has changed from an attacking forward to a striker, and his forward insertion and organizational strategy have revitalized Guoan's frontcourt attack. Only 1 minute and 40 seconds after the game began, Cao Yongjing burst into the penalty area and was brought down by the opposing defender, and referee Zhang Lei carefully watched the VAR replay and awarded a penalty. Cao Yongjing, who has not scored a league goal this season, personally operated, but unfortunately the shot was rejected by the goalpost, and Silva, who followed the supplementary shot, scored high, and Guoan missed the opportunity to take the lead.
Missing a penalty did not affect the morale of the Guoan team, and the whole team withstood two waves of counter-attacks by active defense. In the 11th minute, Silva picked up the ball in front of him and attracted the defense of three defenders, he poked lightly in front of the box, and Cao Yongjing followed up with the goal, 1-0. This is also Cao Yongjing's first league goal since joining Guoan this season.
Cao Yongjing scored the winning goal
The lagging Shenzhen team then launched a counterattack, their attack mainly focused on the two sides, foreign aid Fast Horse Achim Peng repeatedly singled out Ruan Qilong on the left side, but the latter did not leave him much room for breakthrough. In the 24th minute, Silva had a one-handed chance when his left-footed shot hit the goalpost and Cao Yongjing followed up with a shot that was saved. In the first half, the Shenzhen team's goal was saved twice by the goalpost.
In the second half, another reserve team youngster Xie Longfei came off the bench to replace Park Sung, and Guoan continued to maintain the oppressive force of the front. In the 59th minute, Cao Yongjing burst into the penalty area and was pushed down by the opposing defender, and Zhang Lei did not award a penalty. The Guoan coaching staff on the sidelines expressed strong dissatisfaction with the penalty. Since then, the two teams have engaged in confrontations, and the frequency of offensive and defensive conversions has increased.
Shenzhen team due to Achimpong off the field, the offensive routine below the bottom cross mainly. Gao Lin, Li Yuanyi and other players have grabbed the header in the penalty area consecutively, and Hou Sen has twice flew to the opponent's close-range goal to maintain the lead for the team. On the offensive end, Guoan also did not seize the opportunity to counterattack, and after Silva, Xie Longfei and Cao Yongjing missed the opportunity to expand the score in succession, the referee blew the final whistle. Guoan won with difficulty in the end.
After the competition, Cao Yong said that after scoring the goal, he made a "heart-to-heart" gesture to his wife who had just given birth, "I can score a goal thanks to the trust given to me by the head coach, and the position is more lively." ”