Wuhan Three Towns have gone 8 matches without a win and have suffered the worst defeat in club history, sounding the alarm for relegation once again.

Reporter Lu Mi reports. Before facing Guoan away, the team had failed to win in 7 consecutive matches, marking a challenging phase for coach Deng Zhuoxiang since he took over. The long winless spell has certainly hurt the squad’s confidence. This round, playing at the Workers' Stadium against Beijing Guoan, although the two sides differ greatly in strength, the inspiring equalizer in the first encounter still gave Three Towns supporters some optimism. However, this time the opponent scored four goals, while Three Towns were powerless to respond, forced to endure an 8-match winless streak. Although the team still holds a 6-point cushion above the relegation zone, the upcoming tough fixtures against strong opponents and the resurgence of relegation rivals are clear warnings that Three Towns must stay alert.

Carrying the pressure of results, Wuhan Three Towns visited the Workers' Stadium, where Beijing Guoan has been on an upward trajectory recently, making the challenge obvious. In this match, Three Towns’ foreign players starting were Tudorie, Shaoer, and Palacios. They began by staying deep in their own half, while the dominant Beijing Guoan kept applying continuous pressure. Within 3 minutes, Lin Liangming broke through on the left wing to take a shot. By the 10th minute, Guoan had already taken 5 shots and controlled nearly 90% possession. After resisting this initial onslaught, Three Towns finally managed to launch some counterattacks.

Facing the strong Guoan side, the defensive counterattack approach was reasonable. In the first half, Three Towns had several counter opportunities, two of which failed due to inaccurate final passes. The best chance came in the 19th minute when Palacios carried the ball from deep and charged into the opponent’s box for a shot. Unfortunately, Fabio’s defensive recovery disturbed him, causing the shot angle to be off and the ball narrowly missed the post. This attack represented the tactical intent Deng Zhuoxiang hoped for, and it was indeed the best chance in the first 20 minutes for both teams.

Regrettably, such a moment only appeared once. For most of the match, Three Towns remained compact in their own half, subjected to Guoan’s half-field offensive drills.

Constantly defending put a strain on Three Towns' backline, making it difficult to maintain consistent defensive quality and stamina. Especially since the team rarely applied sufficient pressure on Guoan’s ball carriers, the lack of aggressive pressing allowed Guoan’s passing and possession to flow easily. Their own counterattacks often failed due to poor ball distribution or excessive energy spent on defense, which Guoan’s midfield effectively stifled during transitions. The substitute Dalan’s entry failed to change the midfield disadvantage; despite having numbers, their interference with Zhang Xizhe, Chi Zhongguo, and Gu Gamen’s advances was minimal.

The 0-4 final score matched the worst defeat in the club’s Chinese Super League history, equaling the heavy loss against Zhejiang in Round 3 this season. The embarrassing record for the longest winless streak is still growing. In fact, during the previous 7 winless matches, Three Towns only failed to score once in a 0-0 draw with Yatai. Yet last night’s team felt like a different side, showing no fighting spirit even when trailing by a large margin.

At the press conference, Deng Zhuoxiang admitted the team lacked sufficient fighting spirit: “Regarding the players’ performance in this match, perhaps they showed too much respect to the opponent in the first half and didn’t display their own qualities and fighting spirit. There is a strength gap between the sides, and in such matches, without strong determination, it becomes a tough game. The team must keep fighting in the future, but if things don’t change, the situation remains dangerous.”

Since Round 15, Wuhan Three Towns’ results have declined, earning only three draws in 8 matches. They have gained no advantage in battles against relegation rivals. Although currently 6 points clear of the drop zone, they are not entirely safe. The upcoming schedule is daunting, with consecutive matches against Shanghai Shenhua, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, Henan, and Shanghai Port.

With both the title race and relegation battle intensifying, it is almost impossible for the team to claim easy points. Therefore, following this defeat, both management and coaching staff need to engage in serious discussions with the squad. The club has no outstanding salary issues, so the sudden drop in form is indeed puzzling. Amid the positive momentum of the shareholding reform, the team should embrace Wuhan football’s new future with the best possible spirit.