China League Two’s fierce battle, Guangxi Hengchen steadfastly advances

Reporter Chen Yong reports The 3-3 tie lasted until the 99th minute, with just one minute remaining in added time. At this critical juncture, Yuan Xiucheng delivered a last-minute winner, helping Guangxi Hengchen clinch a 4-3 victory. This win preserved the honor of the South Division teams in China League Two — they were the only team from the South to win in the first round of the playoffs against North Division teams, where the South’s record was a dismal 3 draws and 7 losses. Thanks to this crucial victory, Guangxi Hengchen’s points lead widened, keeping their promotion hopes alive amid intense competition.

The top team in the China League Two promotion group, Guangxi Hengchen, played last night away against Haimen Kedi Yuan. In this match, Haimen Kedi Yuan took the lead at the 7th minute through Wang Bowen. Then, at the 33rd and 37th minutes, Fernando scored two consecutive goals to put Guangxi Hengchen ahead. Ning Weichen added another goal to make it 3-1, but at the 41st minute, Haimen Kedi Yuan’s Pei Guoguang pulled one back.

For a long period in the second half, neither side scored until the 93rd minute when Luan Haodong scored an own goal, allowing Haimen Kedi Yuan to equalize. However, in the 99th minute, Yuan Xiucheng’s winning goal secured a 4-3 victory for Guangxi Hengchen in this intense match.

Guangxi Hengchen achieved an impressive six consecutive wins at the end of the China League Two preliminary stage, notably without conceding a single goal in those six matches. Head coach Liu Junwei was named Coach of the Month, while forward Fernando earned Player of the Month honors. Before this round, Fernando led the scoring charts with 19 goals, and after scoring twice this match, his tally rose to 21.

However, in this match against Haimen Kedi Yuan, Guangxi Hengchen, who had kept clean sheets in all previous matches, conceded three goals. This has raised alarms about the team’s defensive setup. Of course, Haimen Kedi Yuan is known for their open style of play, scoring many goals but also conceding a lot — they have scored 38 and conceded 24. In contrast, another Northern team, Changchun Xidu, typically scores fewer goals but also concedes less, with 19 goals scored and 11 conceded.

After winning this match, Guangxi Hengchen’s points total reached 60, leading second-placed Shenzhen 2028 by 11 points, third-placed Wuxi Wugou by 12 points, and fourth-ranked Changchun Xidu, who holds a promotion spot, by as much as 21 points. At this stage, Guangxi Hengchen’s promotion to China League One appears to be only a matter of time.

This season, China League Two features 24 teams divided into North and South divisions. The top four teams from each division advance to the promotion group. Since two Chinese Super League B teams, Shandong Taishan B and Chengdu Rongcheng B, also participate in the promotion group but are ineligible for promotion, only six teams in this season’s League Two have actual promotion eligibility.

At the end of the preliminary stage, Guangxi Hengchen (South Division first) had amassed 57 points, followed by Shenzhen 2028 (South Division second) with 48 points. Behind them were Wuxi Wugou (North Division first) with 45 points, Guizhou Zhucheng Jìngjì (South Division fourth) with 39 points, and Haimen Kedi Yuan (North Division third) and Changchun Xidu (North Division fourth), both with 38 points.

In other promotion group matches played earlier this round, Wuxi Wugou won 2-0 away against Guizhou Zhucheng Jìngjì, while Shenzhen 2028 drew 0-0 at home with Changchun Xidu. As a result, Shenzhen 2028 now has 49 points, Wuxi Wugou 48 points, and both Guizhou Zhucheng Jìngjì and Changchun Xidu have 39 points, with the points gap starting to become clear.

At present, the fight for promotion mainly involves Guangxi Hengchen, Shenzhen 2028, and Wuxi Wugou, with the most likely scenario being Hengchen securing first place outright, and Shenzhen 2028 and Wuxi Wugou competing for second place. Apart from the points advantage, the other three teams have shown unstable recent form: Changchun Xidu has gone seven rounds without a win, including a remarkable six consecutive draws; Guizhou Zhucheng Jìngjì’s recent record is one win, two draws, and three losses; and Haimen Kedi Yuan’s recent results are also inconsistent, with two wins, three draws, and two losses in their last seven matches. The next round’s key match in the promotion group will see Wuxi Wugou hosting Shenzhen 2028.

According to the rules, the China League Two championship group will play eight rounds, where teams from the North and South divisions face each other twice in a double round-robin format. Because the number of rounds is limited, every match is extremely important.

Per the regulations, points earned in the preliminary stage carry over into the championship group. It is worth noting that due to the North-South division setup, some imbalance is inevitable. Besides one weak team in the South, the general consensus is that North Division teams are stronger than those in the South. For example, in the first round of the relegation group in the final stage, North Division teams have dominated with six wins and one draw in seven matches played. The only pending match is between Beijing Institute of Technology and Guangxi Lan Hang, with Guangxi Lan Hang yet to secure a win.

Because the preliminary stage consists of 22 rounds while the championship stage has only 8 rounds, but points are cumulative, the uneven grouping could create unbalanced situations. Consequently, improvements to the current China League Two competition format are necessary.