0-4, Yingbo suffers the largest defeat in club history

Special correspondent/Ding Xu At Zhengzhou Hanghai Stadium, Dalian Yingbo Haifa was defeated 0-4 away by Henan Club Jiuzu Dukang, experiencing the largest loss in club history. All four goals were conceded in the first half, and head coach Li Guoxu called it a "disastrous performance." After this defeat, Yingbo has lost three games in a row and failed to score. The only upside is that the team will now have a break period.

In the previous away match against Jinmen Tigers, Yingbo only had two foreign players, Alimi and Labuyad, on the field. In this round, Yingbo’s key players all returned, with Lü Zhuoyi and Song Yue ending their suspensions, and Malalai back in the lineup. Notably, 19-year-old local talent Yan Yihan, who returned from Shanghai Shenhua during the summer transfer window, was included in the Chinese Super League first-team squad for the first time. Henan maintained the same starting eleven and 4-2-3-1 formation from their Tuesday FA Cup semifinal away match against Chengdu Rongcheng.

Except for Peña and Traore, who has been sidelined for four matches and remained on the bench, Yingbo’s starting lineup consisted of recent key players, but the team lacked composure from the outset. In the 6th minute, Cardoso was fouled from behind by Song Yue on the right side of the penalty area. After reviewing VAR, referee Liang Songsang awarded Yingbo a penalty, which Cardoso successfully converted.

This goal completely shattered Yingbo’s morale. In the 31st minute, Cardoso headed a flick-on near the small box, allowing Maya to tap in from close range. Ten minutes later, the two Brazilian foreign players repeated the move: Cardoso crossed from the right side of the box, and Maya scored again from the small box, completing his brace. In the first minute of stoppage time in the first half, Malalai received a yellow card for pushing Huang Ruifeng off the ball, reflecting the team’s frustration at trailing 0-3. Two minutes later, Nasario played a through ball from midfield, and Achimpen lobbed the ball into the net, making the score 4-0.

First-half statistics showed 7 shots to 4, with 5 on target to none. It’s hard to imagine Henan played two matches in a week, including a penalty shootout, while Yingbo resembled a team fatigued from the FA Cup, with players moving heavily. “Our first half was catastrophic!” Li Guoxu criticized after the game. “The team started slowly and was in a dazed state.” Liu Zhurun said post-match, “In the second half, we adjusted tactics, and everyone worked hard without giving up.”

Just 34 seconds into the second half, Liao Jintao fired a long-range shot that Wang Guoming saved, pushing the ball out for a corner. In the 65th minute, Alimi’s shot from inside the penalty arc hit the left post. At the 76th and 89th minutes, Zhu Pengyu and Mao Weijie each had shots on target but failed to score a consolation goal. In the second half, Yingbo had 3 shots on target while Henan had none. Li Guoxu said, “The players improved their performance after halftime, but it was not enough to overturn the defeat.”

After the heavy defeat, Li Guoxu apologized to the fans: “I failed to organize the team properly; the responsibility lies with the head coach.” Before the three consecutive losses, Yingbo had four straight wins. Why such a drastic contrast? Li Guoxu analyzed, “After the four wins, everyone’s mindset changed. The players did not give their all for every ball or match. We represent Dalian, and as players and coaches of the Dalian team, we must understand that every minute in the Chinese Super League is challenging and must be taken seriously.”

Since its establishment on December 24, 2021, Yingbo’s longest winless streak in last year’s China League One was 4 matches (rounds 21 to 24). This year in the Chinese Super League, they had two separate 3-match winless streaks (rounds 4 to 6 and 11 to 13), but had never experienced three consecutive losses, setting a new club record. Additionally, Yingbo has suffered their largest margin of defeat and equaled the record for most goals conceded in a single match. Previously, their biggest losing margins were 3 goals, including last year’s 0-3 home loss to Yukun, 0-3 away to Tongliang Long, and this year’s 1-4 away loss to Taishan, 0-3 home defeat to Shenhua, and 0-3 away loss to Haigang.

Li Guoxu said, “The league is long; we must carefully review this match and treat this loss as a lesson, taking the last eight games seriously.” Liu Zhurun shared the same view: “The season is a long journey; the harder it gets, the more we must work together.” Due to the postponement of the scheduled August 30 home match against West Coast, Yingbo enters the break early. This break comes as a timely relief for Yingbo, who are in a slump. Their next match will be at home in Suoyu Bay against relegation-threatened Shenzhen New Pengcheng.