Reported by Wang Wei and intern Li Xin On the evening of October 18th, during the 27th round of China League One, Guangzhou Leopards played an away match against Suzhou Dongwu at the Suzhou Sports Center Stadium. In the 68th minute, Guangzhou Leopards scored with a header by Shang Yin, ultimately sealing a 1-0 win. After the match, Guangzhou Leopards’ acting coach Feng Feng said, “It was a very intense game; the opponent caused us quite a few problems, but the team’s strong desire to win kept us pushing forward.”

7 Wins in 8 Matches, Form is Red Hot

Before this round, Guangzhou Leopards had won 6 of their last 7 matches, showing excellent form. Suzhou Dongwu’s recent performance has also improved, with 2 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw in their last 5 games. In their first encounter this season, Guangzhou Leopards came back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 at home, thanks to two goals by Nikon and one by Carlos.

In this match, Feng Feng continued to use the same starting lineup from previous games, with foreign players Nikon and Rosa both on the field. Carlos and Liang Xueming, returning from suspension, were on the bench. Suzhou Dongwu started with three foreign players: Andrejevic, Estrella, and Fortes forming the core of their lineup.

From the kickoff, Guangzhou Leopards launched fierce attacks. In the 5th minute, Rosa took a highly threatening direct free kick, but Suzhou Dongwu’s goalkeeper Liu Yu made a solid save. At the 25th minute, Hou Yu headed a dangerous ball in front of goal, which Liu Yu reacted quickly to clear with his foot. Although Guangzhou Leopards dominated the first half, they failed to break through Suzhou Dongwu’s defense, and the half ended goalless.

In the second half, Guangzhou Leopards continued their aggressive offense. At the 48th minute, Rosa broke into the box and crossed, but Xiadlong was a step late and missed the chance. In the 68th minute, Guangzhou Leopards executed a clever combination in the attacking third: Nikon delivered a through ball splitting the defense, Rosa received it and passed into the box, where Shang Yin arrived to score with a header, putting Guangzhou Leopards ahead 1-0.

At the 85th minute, Suzhou Dongwu forced an own goal by Guangzhou Leopards’ Cai Haochang from a corner kick, but after VAR review, the referee ruled the goal invalid due to an earlier foul by Dongwu’s foreign player Fortes on the goalkeeper. The remainder of the match saw fierce battles, and Guangzhou Leopards secured a 1-0 away victory. This win marked their third consecutive victory and seventh win in the last eight games.

Play Every Match Well, Keep the Suspense Alive

After the match, Xiadlong said, “The opponent put a lot of defensive pressure on us, but we also created several good scoring chances.” Regarding his own performance, he expressed some dissatisfaction, “I need to improve my finishing in front of goal. I missed a few opportunities today, but fortunately, we secured the three points without trouble.”

Feng Feng attributed Guangzhou Leopards’ hard-fought away win to the team’s strong desire to win, saying, “Our entire squad is full of hunger for victory, and this belief is the key to our success.”

Regarding Carlos and Liang Xueming, who returned from suspension and came off the bench, Feng Feng stated, “They had been out for four matches and needed some time to adjust to the game’s pace. From what I saw, their adaptation was quite good.” Carlos came on as a substitute in the 61st minute. Feng Feng revealed, “After bringing Carlos on, we changed our formation and tactics, using two tall forwards up front, which worked very well.”

In the last three rounds, both Chongqing Tongliang Long and Guangzhou Leopards have achieved three consecutive wins. Xiadlong commented, “Our goal is clear: to fight for promotion. Everyone is working toward the same target, so naturally, the team’s cohesion and fighting spirit are very strong.” Facing the strong recent form of promotion rivals Chongqing Tongliang Long, Xiadlong remained calm, “We are always two points behind, but as players, we don’t think too much about that. We just focus on ourselves and play every match according to the coach’s instructions.”

In the same round, Liaoning Ironmen defeated Shanghai Jiading Huilong 3-0 away, maintaining their lead at the top of the standings with 61 points. Chongqing Tongliang Long overturned a deficit to beat Dalian Kunchen 2-1 away, holding second place with 55 points, two points ahead of Guangzhou Leopards. In the last three rounds, Liaoning Ironmen, Chongqing Tongliang Long, and Guangzhou Leopards have all shown strong momentum with three straight wins. In the next round, Liaoning Ironmen will host Nantong Zhiyun; as long as they avoid defeat, they can secure a promotion spot two rounds early. Meanwhile, Chongqing Tongliang Long and Guangzhou Leopards will continue their “remote duel” for the remaining promotion spot.