Wasting opportunities leads to punishment; Meizhou faces a tough relegation battle

Reporter Wang Wei reports On the night of October 24th, during the 28th round of the Chinese Super League, Meizhou Hakka lost 1-4 at home against Yunnan Yukun at the Wuhua Olympic Sports Center, worsening their relegation situation. Prior to the match, Meizhou held 20 points, just 2 points clear of relegation. To strengthen their position in the safe zone, they needed a positive result but ended up losing by a large margin.

Looking back at the entire match, Meizhou created many scoring chances but unfortunately failed to convert them. The forwards lacked clinical finishing, and despite continuous pressure, they conceded multiple goals to the opponent. Some insiders believe that if Meizhou had scored earlier than their rivals, they wouldn’t have conceded so many goals.

After this defeat, Meizhou remains in 14th place, but if Haikou and Yatai win their games, Meizhou will slip back into the relegation zone.

Meizhou’s lineup was not complete in this match. The foreign defensive midfielder Jovicic was not in the starting eleven. Chen Xuhuang and Zhong Haoran paired up as double defensive midfielders; goalkeeper was Guo Quanbo; the backline consisted of Ru Zinan, Liao Junjian, Morris, and Yang Yihu; Liu Yun, Rodriguez, Ngom, and Elias were positioned upfront.

Yunnan Yukun, playing away, did not include Ye Chugui, who previously played for Meizhou, in their squad. From the start, Meizhou launched attacks with the support of their fans, pressing forward continuously. In the 12th minute, Liu Yun’s low shot was caught by the opposing goalkeeper. In the 22nd minute, Meizhou’s goalkeeper Guo Quanbo made a brilliant save from a dangerous header, keeping the goal intact. At the 28th minute, Meizhou had a golden chance when Rodriguez fired a powerful shot inside the box, but it was denied by the goalkeeper.

Afterwards, Meizhou lost some control in midfield, and Yunnan Yukun launched multiple quick counterattacks through the halfway line. It was evident that missing Jovicic affected Meizhou’s performance on both offense and defense. Near the end of the first half, Meizhou pressed again, with Ngom’s one-on-one shot hitting the goalkeeper, missing another scoring opportunity.

In the second half, Meizhou increased their attacking pace, surrounding the opponent’s goal. Rodriguez repeatedly broke through on the right flank and created threats, but failed to score. Several shots were either saved by the goalkeeper or blocked by defenders.

Wasting chances comes with consequences — at the 58th minute, Yunnan Yukun scored. Trailing, Meizhou had no choice but to intensify their attacks, leaving their defense vulnerable. Yunnan Yukun took advantage of counterattacks to score three more goals, putting Meizhou 0-4 behind. Although Yang Ruiqi scored at the 85th minute, it was too late to change the outcome, and Meizhou had to accept a bitter defeat.

After the match, Meizhou’s interim head coach Qu Gang said the team had prepared well before the game, but this is how football goes. Losing such a crucial match greatly complicates their relegation survival goal. “The players worked hard and fought bravely; they gave their best. The responsibility lies mainly with me as the coach, and I will take full accountability. Here, I want to apologize to all the fans supporting Meizhou.”

In the next round, Meizhou will remain at home to face the newly promoted team, Yingbo; in the final round, they will play an away match against Guoan. For them, the upcoming match against Yingbo is critical and must yield three points. Qu Gang hopes the players can quickly overcome the disappointment of this loss and focus on preparing well for the matches ahead.