CSL Roundup: Meizhou Hakka hold Beijing Guoan, Shenzhen FC beats Cangzhou
- Zhang Yuning had a strong first half to give Beijing a two goal lead, but newly promoted Meizhou responded to force the draw
- Beijing move up to seventh in the rankings and are now hot on the heels of Wuhan Yangtze, Shenzhen FC and Shandong Taishan each with nine points
Meizhou Hakka came from two goals behind to hold Beijing Guoan 2-2 in round four of the 2022 Chinese Super League on Friday, while Shenzhen FC downed Cangzhou Mighty Lions 1-0.
Zhang Yuning had a stellar first half to give Beijing a two goal lead inside the opening 21 minutes, but the CSL newcomers rallied to pull one back in the 23rd minute when Aleksa Vukanovic beat the goalkeeper in a one-on-one.
Meizhou kept up their momentum and Rade Dugalic headed home an equaliser in the 64th minute. Meizhou remain unbeaten in the new season with one win and three draws.
“Before the game, I emphasised to the players that we should pay 100% attention to Meizhou,” Beijing coach Xie Feng said.
Despite the draw, Beijing moved up to seventh in the rankings and are now hot on the heels of Wuhan Yangtze, Shenzhen FC and Shandong Taishan each with nine points.
Elsewhere on Friday, Frank Acheampong scored an early goal for Shenzhen in the sixth minute after a fast break starting from Li Yuanyi’s long pass.
Shenzhen goalkeeper Zhang Lu made multiple saves to keep a clean sheet, sealing the team’s third win of the season and condemning their opponents to their first defeat of 2022.
League leaders Wuhan Three Towns will face Shanghai Port in the opening match of round five tomorrow, while Guangzhou take on Hebei FC - two teams who have yet to pick up a win.