China League One Relegation Battle: Who Will Go Down with Qingdao Red Lions?

Reporter Wang Wei reports All matches of the 24th round of the 2025 China League One concluded on the night of September 27. Apart from the intense promotion battles, the relegation fight at the bottom also caught the spotlight. Guangxi Pingguo won an important 2-1 away game against Foshan Nanshi, earning vital points. The bottom-ranked Qingdao Red Lions were defeated 0-1 at home by Shijiazhuang Kungfu, and Shenzhen Youth lost 1-3 at home to Dalian Kunchen, resulting in changes in the relegation scenario.

Before this round, there was a 4-point gap between Guangxi Pingguo and Foshan Nanshi, making this match critical for the relegation standings. Guangxi Pingguo ranked 15th with 18 points and had been showing improvement recently, achieving 3 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in their last six games. They defeated Shenzhen Youth, Guangzhou Leopards, and Dingnan Ganlian, drew with Suzhou Dongwu and Dalian Kunchen, and lost to Shijiazhuang Kungfu. Offensively, Guangxi Pingguo scored 8 goals in these six matches, demonstrating good attacking efficiency.

Foshan Nanshi entered this round 14th in the league with 22 points, holding a 4-point lead over Guangxi Pingguo. However, their recent form has been unstable, with only 1 win, 2 draws, and 3 losses in the last six matches. Their sole victory was against Qingdao Red Lions. In terms of attack and defense, they scored 7 goals but conceded 11 in these six games, showing instability especially in defense.

Hosting Guangxi Pingguo, Foshan Nanshi had the chance to complete a season double over their rivals and extend the points gap to 7.5, a significant advantage with six rounds remaining. Ultimately, Guangxi Pingguo won 2-1, avoiding the double defeat and narrowing the points difference to just one. In the final six rounds of the relegation battle, Foshan Nanshi holds a slim 1-point lead, while Guangxi Pingguo gains confidence from their recent run of 4 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in seven matches.

For Guangxi Pingguo, although they are currently on a strong points streak, challenges remain. On one hand, the large deficit from the first half of the season is difficult to overcome; on the other hand, recent injuries have impacted the squad, such as key striker Zhang Wei, who was unable to play in the match against Foshan Nanshi due to injury.

For Foshan Nanshi, resolving the issue of conceding too many goals is paramount. Head coach Wang Hongwei stated: "The main responsibility for losing at home to Guangxi Pingguo lies with me as the coach. I fielded our best available players, but unfortunately, the second goal we conceded was very foolish in my opinion, which changed the entire course of the game. Although we lost this match, there are still six rounds left in the league, and the control and initiative remain in our hands. We will carefully review and focus on performing well in the upcoming matches."

After last weekend’s 1-3 home defeat to Dalian Kunchen, Shenzhen Youth has only managed 1 win and 8 losses in the 9 matches of the second half of the season, falling from 8th place in the first half to struggling in the relegation zone. With 51 goals conceded in 24 rounds, they currently have the worst defensive record in China League One. Shenzhen Youth’s head coach Zhang Jun said: "The team has recently faced some injury problems, which is a challenge for our preparations, but I believe every player will be ready for each game."

After 24 rounds of China League One, Qingdao Red Lions sit at the bottom with 12 points, making survival an impossible task. The other relegation spot will likely be decided among Guangxi Pingguo, Foshan Nanshi, and Shenzhen Youth.