Reporter Wang Wei reports On the evening of August 31, Shenzhen New Pengcheng defeated Meizhou Hakka 2-0 to claim the long-awaited 3 points, yet the relegation alarm remains active. Meizhou Hakka’s survival outlook has further declined — in Round 21, they were beaten 0-1 away by Changchun Yatai; in Round 22, Shenzhen New Pengcheng also lost 0-1 away to Changchun Yatai — by consecutively giving 3 points to the bottom-ranked Changchun Yatai, these two Guangdong teams, Meizhou Hakka and Shenzhen New Pengcheng, have now become close rivals in the relegation battle of the Chinese Super League.

Unless unexpected changes occur, this season’s two relegation spots in the Chinese Super League will come from among Shenzhen New Pengcheng, Meizhou Hakka, Qingdao Hainiu, and Changchun Yatai. Both Meizhou Hakka and Shenzhen New Pengcheng have realized the severity of their relegation situation, but finding effective ways to escape the relegation quagmire remains very challenging.

Meizhou Hakka: “We will fight until our last breath”

“In the end, it’s this message: For honor, for our dignity, everyone must give their all and show all their energy on the field. Let’s all keep pushing!”

This was the final motivational statement made by Meizhou Hakka’s acting head coach Qu Gang in the team’s locker room before their home game against Zhejiang. That match ended in a 2-2 draw, earning a crucial point. After the game, Qu Gang said: “This point is extremely important for Hakka!”

At that time, Zhejiang was ranked seven places above Meizhou Hakka in the Super League standings, making it very difficult to earn points against such a team. This was especially tough since in the previous round, Meizhou Hakka lost 0-1 away to direct relegation rival Changchun Yatai. Losing a “six-pointer” in the league’s final sprint is very costly, so Qu Gang said: “The team has no way back now; we must fight through with all our might to break free!”

This 61-year-old coach from Dalian has been with Meizhou Hakka Football Club since 2017 as an assistant coach for the first team, and this year he took on the critical role of “firefighter” during a crisis.

Before Qu Gang took over as head coach, the team had suffered seven consecutive losses in the Super League and eight in the FA Cup. The poor results and low morale, combined with the squad’s overall weakness, posed serious challenges. However, when the club’s investors entrusted him with the “firefighting” task, Qu Gang accepted without hesitation. Having lived and coached in Wuhua for seven years, he developed deep feelings for the place and the team. Qu Gang said that for the name “Meizhou Hakka,” he is willing to shoulder this responsibility together with everyone: “No matter how hard it is, we must bear it together because we have experienced the excitement of promotion and the hardships of relegation battles here. These memories and emotions cannot be easily abandoned.”

Reality is harsh. Including the 0-2 loss to Shenzhen New Pengcheng, Qu Gang’s team has not fully achieved their points goals in seven league matches, with a record of 1 win, 2 draws, and 4 losses, earning only 5 points. The 0-1 away defeat to direct relegation rival Changchun Yatai not only gave the opponent 3 points but also allowed them to catch up. Qu Gang said that wins and losses are normal in football; losing to Changchun Yatai was regrettable, but Meizhou Hakka must look forward.

Looking at the seven matches under Qu Gang’s leadership, Meizhou Hakka basically performed as expected: a key 1-1 away draw against Henan in his first match; then a 0-3 away loss to Shandong Taishan and a 2-4 home defeat by Shanghai Port, both understandable given the strength of those opponents; a valuable 2-1 away win over Wuhan Three Towns in the fourth match to gain 3 crucial points; a possibly fatal 0-1 away loss to Changchun Yatai in the fifth match; a vital 2-2 home draw against Zhejiang in the sixth match, which was important both for gaining points from a strong opponent and for easing the blow from the loss to Yatai; unfortunately, this was followed by a defeat away to Shenzhen New Pengcheng.

During this year’s second transfer window, Meizhou Hakka strengthened their squad by adding Omarsson, Deng Yubiao, Wei Yinghe, Yang Ruiqi, and others across defense, midfield, and attack, aiming to boost overall strength. However, the squad still appears thin overall, and many challenges remain for Qu Gang. “We do have a gap in overall strength compared to other teams. At this stage, the only option is to fight with all our spirit until the last moment!” said Meizhou Hakka captain Liao Junjian. “For Meizhou football and the honor of Guangdong football, even if we have only one breath left, we will leave all our strength on the pitch.”

Shenzhen New Pengcheng: Coaching change fails to fix defensive weaknesses

Like Meizhou Hakka, Shenzhen New Pengcheng’s relegation situation worsened sharply after losing away to direct relegation rival Changchun Yatai.
Before the second transfer window, Shenzhen New Pengcheng’s points tally was relatively optimistic, but after a coaching change, they suffered a five-game losing streak. Their relegation status is now very precarious, and without fighting spirit to seize points, relegation seems inevitable.

This season, Shenzhen New Pengcheng’s start was not smooth. Italian coach Latanzi, who led the team to survive relegation last season, earned only 14 points in the first half of this season, 2 points fewer than the same period last year. This prompted the club to consider a coaching change. During the second transfer window, Spanish coach Pep Muñoz, who had previously coached in China, replaced Latanzi.

With the addition of Brazilian striker Wesley, Pep’s first match in charge was a 4-0 victory over direct relegation rival Qingdao Hainiu, showing a different Shenzhen New Pengcheng. However, Pep then suffered five consecutive losses, wiping out the slight points advantage they had accumulated and allowing bottom-ranked Changchun Yatai to achieve their first back-to-back wins this season. This shift has put Shenzhen New Pengcheng’s relegation battle in jeopardy.

In the seven matches since Pep took over, Shenzhen New Pengcheng has not fixed their problem of conceding too many goals. Besides the 4-0 win over Qingdao Hainiu, 2-0 win over Meizhou Hakka, and 0-1 loss to Changchun Yatai, the other four matches were heavy defeats: 1-3 loss to Yunnan Yukun, 2-4 loss to Zhejiang, 1-4 thrashing by Henan, and 1-3 loss to Shandong Taishan. They are currently the Super League team with the most goals conceded (50). Pep admitted the defensive issues, saying the team has not been effective in both penalty areas. “Even in attack, we haven’t capitalized on enough chances in the opponent’s box, but we prepare every day hoping to make our defense more structured and compact, to prevent conceding easy goals.”

After becoming Shenzhen New Pengcheng’s head coach, Pep demanded the team keep possession of the ball. “I want the team to control the ball better during matches, dominate the game, and press the opponent into their half to stop easy counterattacks. This is a process, and the players are working hard to gradually achieve the style we want.” However, from the seven matches Pep has managed, the results show the players are still adapting and transitioning, and time is running short.

For Shenzhen New Pengcheng now, it’s not about playing attractive football; the key is to earn points. Looking at the remaining schedule, the last seven rounds are the toughest. The team will face away games against Dalian Yifang and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, then return home to play Qingdao West Coast, followed by home matches against Beijing Guoan, an away game against Wuhan Three Towns, and finally back-to-back matches against title contenders Shanghai Shenhua and Chengdu Rongcheng. Given Shenzhen New Pengcheng’s current strength, it will be very difficult to get points from Guoan, Shenhua, and Rongcheng. If they fail to secure points from the other four opponents, their fate may be sealed before the last two rounds begin.