Guangxi Pingguo Fights for a Glimmer of Hope!

Reporter Wang Wei reports On the night of the 12th, during the 26th round of the 2025 China League One season, a vital relegation clash took place. Guangxi Pingguo, who were second last in the standings, drew 1-1 away against the bottom-ranked Qingdao Red Lions, each securing one point. Meanwhile, Shenzhen Youth and Shaanxi United drew 3-3, and Foshan Nanshi lost 0-2 away to Chongqing Tongliang Long. After this round, except for Qingdao Red Lions with 13 points whose chances of survival are slim, Guangxi Pingguo (22 points), Shenzhen Youth (24 points), and Foshan Nanshi (25 points) still have hopes to avoid relegation. Especially notable is Guangxi Pingguo’s achievement of gaining a point despite losing two key players last round and their head coach Maeda Koji being suspended this match due to disciplinary reasons.

In the first encounter this season between the two teams, Guangxi Pingguo narrowly won 1-0 at home against Qingdao Red Lions, marking their first victory of the season. This time, Guangxi Pingguo faced Qingdao Red Lions away and needed a win to keep their hopes alive in China League One; meanwhile, the home side Qingdao Red Lions had no margin for error, needing at least a draw to delay an early relegation fate.

However, this away match against Qingdao Red Lions posed many challenges for Guangxi Pingguo. On the 10th, the Chinese Football Association issued a penalty: head coach Maeda Koji was suspended for one game due to post-match comments, preventing him from directing the team on the sidelines, which had a significant impact. Even more impactful was the absence of two key starters. In the previous round, Chongqing Tongliang Long’s player Zhang Zhixiong pushed Guangxi Pingguo’s foreign player Asamoah from behind near the sideline, causing Asamoah to hit his head on the LED advertising board and get injured. Asamoah was then taken to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University for treatment. On the 11th, after surgery, Asamoah began attempting to walk with assistance. The chief surgeon, Dr. Zhan Xinli, director of the Spine and Bone Disease Department, revealed that Asamoah’s recovery exceeded expectations but still requires at least three months of rehabilitation. However, given the current progress, his return to the field seems likely. Unfortunately, the team cannot rely on him or Huang Wei, who also suffered a severe injury requiring surgery in the same match. Both players had been key starters with 23 and 22 appearances respectively, and their absence has significantly affected the team.

At the pre-match press conference, Guangxi Pingguo’s assistant coach Sun Jiangshan said, “The two players injured in the last game have successfully undergone surgery and are currently in very good postoperative condition. We wish Asamoah and Huang Wei a speedy recovery and a quick return to the pitch. Regarding this crucial match, head coach Maeda Koji has emphasized throughout the week’s training that all focus must be on this game. Our whole team is united and fully prepared.”

Interestingly, Qingdao Red Lions’ head coach is Wang Xiao, who previously coached Guangxi Pingguo. Before the match, Wang Xiao stated, “Guangxi Pingguo was the team I managed from 2023 to 2024. In the last round, they suffered two serious injuries, which no team wants to see. I wish both players a swift recovery.”

Guangxi Pingguo made adjustments to their starting lineup: foreign player Michael led the forward line, with Hu Jiajin, Fu Shang, and Liu Hao supporting behind him. Chen Quanjiang and You Wenjie formed the double defensive midfield, while Yang Minjie, Xiang Rongjun, Yao Diren, and Zhu Yue guarded the defense. Wang Jinshuai started as goalkeeper.

After the match began, although Qingdao Red Lions’ chances of survival were only theoretical, they played very actively at home. In the 12th minute, Sun Xipeng headed in a goal assisted by foreign player Alves, putting Qingdao Red Lions ahead 1-0. Guangxi Pingguo then launched a counterattack, and in stoppage time of the first half, Michael scored a penalty to level the score at 1-1. In the second half, Guangxi Pingguo made several substitutions but failed to score again, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

This result gave both relegation-threatened teams one point each. Qingdao Red Lions still hold a theoretical chance to avoid relegation, while Guangxi Pingguo’s hope to stay in the league has increased. Assistant coach Sun Jiangshan of Guangxi Pingguo said after the match, “Thanks to the players for their resilience in coming back from behind to equalize. Moving forward, the team will review and prepare thoroughly to complete the relegation survival mission and fight to the end.” With four rounds remaining, Guangxi Pingguo will host Yanbian Longding and Shanghai Jiading Huilong and play away against Nantong Zhiyun and Shaanxi United. Given the current squad, they will need to make extraordinary efforts to avoid relegation.