1-0! Chengdu Rongcheng secures 4 consecutive wins, setting a new club record! Romulo assists, Zhou Dingyang scores decisive header.

In the 18th round of the 2024 Chinese Super League, Chengdu Rongcheng traveled to face Nantong Zhiyun. Rongcheng has been in excellent form recently, remaining unbeaten for 5 consecutive matches with 4 wins and 1 draw. Apart from the 1-1 draw against Shenhua, the other four matches were all convincing victories, including a 7-0 win over Qingdao West Coast, which broke the club's record for the largest margin of victory. Currently, Rongcheng has 11 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses, accumulating 35 points and ranking 3rd in the standings, but they are already 13 points behind the top team Shanghai Port. Therefore, the most realistic goal for the second half of the season is to maintain their top 3 position and strive to qualify for the AFC Champions League next season. Nantong Zhiyun currently has 3 wins, 5 draws, and 9 losses, accumulating 14 points, leading the relegation zone by just 1 point, facing immense pressure to avoid relegation. The two teams have met 3 times in the league, with Rongcheng winning all matches without conceding a single goal, demonstrating a clear advantage.

After the start of the match, Rongcheng displayed their superior strength, firmly controlling possession, but they created few shooting opportunities. In the 19th minute, Xue Qinghao parried a high ball, Felipe headed in a rebound at the goalmouth, but the goal was disallowed due to a teammate's offside position; in the 25th minute, Rongcheng launched a quick counterattack, Romulo carried the ball forward with teammates spreading wide on both sides, but he ultimately chose a long-range shot which was blocked and went out for a corner.

In the 37th minute, Palacios intercepted the ball in the front field, then drove into the penalty area and shot low, Xue Qinghao saved the shot; in the 41st minute, Nantong Zhiyun cleared the ball from their backfield, Kalon took the ball and pushed forward on a counterattack, with no teammates following up he opted for a long-range shot outside the large penalty area, the ball was collected by Jian Tao; in the 43rd minute, Kalon cut inside from the left side of the front field, then curled a shot, the ball was saved. Zheng Haoqian followed up with a rebound shot and fell, but the referee indicated no foul.

In the 45th minute, Rosa launched a powerful shot from outside the large penalty area, Jian Tao leaped and tipped the ball over for a corner; in the 45+4th minute, Leichter was injured and left the field, Yang Yiming substituted in; at halftime, the two teams were tied 0-0; in the first half, Rongcheng had nearly 70% possession but only 5 shots with 3 on target, Nantong Zhiyun had 4 shots with 2 on target.

After changing sides for the second half, Rongcheng continued to dominate the match. In the 62nd minute, the balance was finally broken: Romulo delivered a right-sided set-piece, Zhou Dingyang leaped high in the penalty area and headed the ball into the net, 1-0, Rongcheng finally took the lead!

In the 73rd minute, Pucilin took a front-field set-piece, Antony attempted a lob in the penalty area which went wide; in the 78th minute, Liang Shaowen received a teammate's corner and headed towards goal, the ball went slightly wide; in the 82nd minute, Kalon took the ball on the left wing, continuously dribbled past defenders, then took a long-range shot, Jian Tao securely held the ball.

Finally, after 9 minutes of added time, Rongcheng withstanded Nantong Zhiyun's counterattacks and preserved the 1-0 victory, securing their 4th consecutive win. They also extended their unbeaten run to 6 matches, further consolidating their 3rd place in the standings, while Nantong Zhiyun may fall into the relegation zone after this round. Notably, Rongcheng has achieved 4 consecutive wins against Nantong Zhiyun in the Chinese Super League without conceding any goals, marking the club's longest winning streak against a single opponent in the league.