The match at the Workers' Stadium against Guoan is just around the corner, and Yukun has the courage to make history!

Written by Zuo Rui With a 2-1 victory over Wuhan Three Towns, Yunnan Yukun's points reached 29, enabling them to compete in the cup without any pressure. Leaving their high-altitude home ground to challenge Guoan in the cup, Yukun possesses the courage to achieve a challenging and historic breakthrough.

Last Friday, Yunnan Yukun hosted Wuhan Three Towns, where Luo Jing, following Hou Yongyong and Nene, scored with a long-range shot, helping the team take the lead in the first half. Enrique, who became the sole striker due to Oscar's absence, was effectively neutralized by his former teammate from Three Towns, and at one point in the first half, he had to be carried off the field on a stretcher. After the score was equalized in the second half, Enrique had numerous shooting opportunities, including a follow-up on an open goal, long-range shots, headers, and close-range strikes... yet the ball just wouldn’t go in.

In the 69th minute, Han Zilong replaced Luo Jing, and five minutes later, the club's all-time top scorer scored with a shot assisted by Tang Miao, bringing his total goals across the China League and the Chinese Super League to 33. In stoppage time, the relentless Enrique created a chance to end the match, but his penalty hit the post; fortunately, this did not affect Yukun's eventual victory.

Regarding the upcoming FA Cup semi-final, Han Zilong expressed great expectations during an interview with this newspaper two weeks ago: "We have already made history and opened a new chapter for Yunnan football. For this FA Cup, we should strive to go further, even aiming for something higher." After playing a key role in the victory over Three Towns, he excitedly stated his hope to "reach the finals."

Luo Jing, who opened the scoring against Wuhan Three Towns, and substitute Yi Teng also expressed the same desire. If the latter's return was seen by head coach Anderson as a positive sign for Yukun's "restructuring of the strongest defense," an even stronger signal came from another returning defender, Burcu. The Romanian defender's performance outshone that of his two compatriots on the field—teammate Yoni Cha and opponent Tudoreanu. Burcu showcased his defensive abilities in the center, his vision for forward passes, and his unique role in set-piece tactics. In the midweek match against Guoan, the Romanian international will be a key figure for Yukun's advancement.

Against Beijing Guoan, the timely recovery of Yi Teng and Burcu gives Anderson more options to contend with the opponent for 90 minutes, or even 120 minutes. For the Norwegian, losing to Three Towns before the FA Cup would negatively impact the team's confidence, so Anderson told the players before the match that the team needs a victory and must face Beijing away with the confidence of winning, "Then we will see what happens."

At the full-back position, both starting player Tang Miao and substitute Zhang Chenliang performed excellently, while goalkeeper Ma Zhen has been a solid presence, making few mistakes and being decisive in his saves, also delivering accurate long passes when necessary. Thanks to the collective efforts of the players, Yunnan Yukun successfully earned 3 points against Wuhan Three Towns.

Few teams can secure a victory at the Workers' Stadium, but history is made by people. After 21 rounds of the Chinese Super League, there are no worries about the overall running ability and positive attitude of Yukun's midfielders. Compared to the unselfishness and back-and-forth play of Nene and Hou Yongyong, the attacking strengths of Yoni Cha and Ye Chuguai need to showcase their creativity on the ball.

Anderson is pleased that the team has returned to form in the shortest time possible, stating, "Next, we will have two very important matches: the FA Cup away against Beijing Guoan and the league home match against Chengdu Rongcheng. We will give our all to win the FA Cup semi-final and reach the finals. In the league, we also hope to achieve better results and create new history."

With nine rounds remaining in the league, Yukun has accumulated 29 points, just one step away from the club's "30+ relegation line." Sports director Guo Guangqi previously told this reporter that he has been discussing with various stakeholders, including their investors, "When we reach more than 30 points, we can say we have basically completed the relegation task. Can we aim for a better result?" In his view, reaching the semi-finals of the cup has already been an "unexpected surprise," saying, "I didn't expect that this year we would have such an opportunity in the FA Cup, and we made it to the top four, which also creates new history for Yunnan football."