First AFC Champions League victory: Is Beijing Guoan finally out of the slump?

Special contributor/Song Ci On the evening of November 6th, in the fourth round of Group 2 of the AFC Champions League, Guoan defeated Hong Kong Premier League team Tai Po 3-0 at home, achieving their first victory in Asia. Following their prior 4-0 triumph over Yatai in the Chinese Super League, Guoan secured another comprehensive win without conceding. After these two commanding wins, Guoan may slowly recover from their slump.

Despite Guoan’s recent big win, the attendance at Workers’ Stadium was only 21,371, ranking second to last in the new stadium’s attendance list, just 1,000 more than the previous home game against Hanoi Police from Vietnam.

Over 20,000 spectators made the vast Workers’ Stadium appear quite empty. However, as fans at the venue noted, given the team’s poor recent form and the cold weather in Beijing, those who showed up are true supporters. “Guoan should deeply appreciate these loyal fans.”

Guoan fully recognizes the importance of their supporters. Before the game, Zhang Yuning admitted, “The recent fluctuations in our results disappointed the fans. The entire team hopes to secure a home victory to bring the fans back to the stadium through our performance.”

True to their word, facing the fierce Tai Po, Guoan scored three beautiful goals in the second half to show their opponents that at Workers’ Stadium, they fear no rival.

After the match, Tai Po players said they had hoped to at least earn a point away, as they were dissatisfied with their failure to win at home in the previous round. But at Workers’ Stadium, they truly felt the unique atmosphere of a hostile home ground. Although the crowd was not large, the fans present were very supportive, and Guoan’s performance exceeded their expectations. “Perhaps this is the power of home advantage. Guoan played better than Tai Po, and we sincerely admit that.”

The goals came from Zhang Yuning and Serginho, both of which were spectacular.

Zhang Yuning has scored only 5 goals in the Chinese Super League this year, which is disappointing for a player in his prime. In this game, acting head coach Ramiro started Zhang Yuning up front alongside Fabio and Cao Yongjing, forming an attacking trio.

After the match, Zhang Yuning was named the best player. Regarding his performance, he said the team had agreed before the game to play more aggressively at home and avoid mistakes. “We wanted to execute our attacking strategies, so whether during the tense moments in the first half or the final moments leading, we maintained a high intensity.”

Substitute Serginho scored twice, including a stunning backheel goal that fans hailed as a masterpiece. Supporters cheered, “After waiting a whole season, Serginho is finally in form.”

Guoan’s praise-worthy performance was not limited to offense; their defense was equally solid, keeping a clean sheet. Zhang Yuning emphasized that defense is a collective effort, and everyone worked hard together to prevent conceding.

Ramiro said, “In this match, the whole team defended as a unit rather than individually. We demanded consistent effort from all players. Defensively, everyone fought fiercely. What I’m most satisfied with is that the team functioned as a cohesive whole, with each player fulfilling their role.”

Before this match, Guoan was bottom of Group 2 in the AFC Champions League. With 5 points now, they have regained control of their qualification hopes. If they perform well in the remaining two matches, advancing to the round of 16 is still possible.

Ramiro stated that the team values every match in Group 2 highly. “We will field our strongest lineup and show our best side. Although the group opponents are strong, we will not be intimidated and hope to perform at our highest level.”

Zhang Yuning revealed that the team’s primary goal is to advance from the group and then go further. “We will give our all toward that objective.”

Of course, the FA Cup final remains Guoan’s most important target this year, and they will focus fully on preparing for it next.

“Although there is a 16-day break, we have no reason to relax. We will prepare fully for the upcoming matches. No one can guarantee continuous wins, but I can promise we will keep working hard, which has always been our standard,” Ramiro said, hoping the team maintains their current momentum to perform well in the FA Cup final and claim the championship. “Today’s victory is an important step on the road to the FA Cup final. We will not stop; everyone wants to achieve the goal with the team, so we will keep demanding the best from ourselves and continue our efforts.”