Qingdao Hainiu: Noticeable Improvement in Performance, Points Slowly Climbing

Reporter Chen Yong reports Qingdao Hainiu has shown impressive form lately, yet their luck hasn’t favored them. They had opportunities to win in three straight games but finished with two draws and one defeat. While their points tally is steadily rising, the rate of progress is still a bit slow. Nevertheless, the strong performances reflect enhancements in the team’s tactics and morale, which certainly boosts their chances of avoiding relegation.

In this round against Henan Club Jiuzudu Kang, the return of Saric after several rounds of injury was undoubtedly good news for Qingdao Hainiu. Unfortunately, winger Silva was suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, so Qingdao Hainiu still couldn’t field a full lineup of five foreign players. Liu Junshuai was also suspended, but fortunately, Sun Zheng’ao returned from injury and started in this match.

At the 19th minute, Zhong Yihao made a solo run down the right wing and his powerful shot was bravely saved by Han Rongze. At the 39th minute, Qingdao Hainiu delivered a cross, and Rankelze had a shooting chance from just 3 meters in front of the goal but his shot was too central, missing a golden opportunity. Of course, Henan’s goalkeeper Wang Guoming also blocked the shot with his hand while diving, which contributed to Rankelze missing the chance.

During injury time of the first half, at the 47th minute, Qingdao Hainiu executed a clever combination on the right side. Rankelze back-heeled a pass, Jin Yonghao sent the ball into the box, Mai Wulang’s shot was blocked, but the ball landed perfectly at Lin Chuangyi’s feet, who swept it into the net. This goal was his first in the Chinese Super League, having previously scored in the AFC Champions League.

In the first half of this match, Qingdao Hainiu held 54.6% possession, with 12 shots to 9, 3 shots on target to 4, and 5 corners to 8. Overall, the two teams were fairly evenly matched in the first half, but Qingdao Hainiu gained the lead. In the second half, Qingdao Hainiu pressed more, maintaining higher possession, with 11 shots to 3, 2 shots on target each, and 4 corners to 1. However, Qingdao Hainiu failed to score in the second half; instead,

at the 60th minute, Henan Club Jiuzudu Kang equalized through a brilliant team play.

Qingdao Hainiu’s best chance in the second half was Rankel’s one-on-one breakaway. The play was beautiful: Song Long threw in the ball, Augusto chipped a pass, Rankelze faced the goalkeeper alone. Instead of a simple tap-in, he dribbled past the keeper but failed to immediately shoot into the open goal. After a rare adjustment, his shot hit the side netting.

Rankelze missing two excellent chances was undoubtedly Qingdao Hainiu’s biggest regret, including the team’s last moments when they had opportunities to score a winning goal but missed again. However, judging by Qingdao Hainiu’s overall performance, their transformation really began after Rankelze joined. He provided a very stable focal point upfront, which helped boost Qingdao Hainiu’s attacking capabilities.

Saric was substituted before the start of the second half. From the end of the first half, he appeared to be playing normally and even took the last corner kick before halftime. His substitution in the second half was likely due to his injury recovery not allowing him to sustain longer high-intensity play, serving as a protective measure for him.

“Today’s match was very exciting, with strong competition and a good pace from both sides. Unfortunately, we didn’t capitalize on our chances, but this one point is actually very important for us,” said Qingdao Hainiu’s head coach Li Xiaopeng after the game.

Qingdao Hainiu has been performing excellently in recent matches: drawing away against Chengdu Rongcheng; at home against Shanghai Shenhua, a 0-0 draw in regular time with a late chance to win that was missed, and then conceding a last-minute goal to lose; in this game, Qingdao Hainiu had even more great chances but ultimately only secured one point.

Despite earning just 2 points from three strong performances, which is naturally insufficient for Qingdao Hainiu still in the relegation zone, these impressive displays undoubtedly build greater confidence within the team. For Qingdao Hainiu, assembling a full lineup of five foreign players will be key to launching their survival push.