SEASON 2 MATCHDAY 8
We always love a Friday night doubleheader here in Naixi. With two simultaneous games to choose from, we'll have to start you off with the banana peel for one of the league's top three sides. Perhaps it was the wonderfully warm and dry springtime air in Chumeichang lulling them to sleep... or perhaps it was low self belief on account of the hammering they took a week before at the hands of Fuchou... either way, Nongmin found themselves in a hole a half hour into their matchup with Sheshou and didn't manage the game well at all after that. Sure, they equalized just before half time after Sa Kota Yue slipped in behind, nutmegged the Marksmen's keeper, and rolled the ball into the back of the net, but the Farmers' second half was awful. After vociferously protesting a 54th minute Chong Xian Ye goal that was ruled out for offside and getting half their squad booked, they just seemed to pout for the final forty minutes of the contest. They drew level on points with second place Fuchou - temporarily - but it's looking like Nongmin have lost their way a bit. It's not a brilliant result for Sheshou, either: that's the All-Whites' fifth draw of the campaign, and they aren't actually that far clear of the drop. Speaking of which... the other Friday night game was a real six-pointer at the bottom as Xue hosted Yanjiang in a surprisingly dry Futengma. The Lava Monsters will be pleased with how things went for the first eighty minutes of the game, as their defense finally looked somewhat organized and kept Zong Yuan Ti quite quiet. But they may possibly be annoyed with Wei Yan Lin, who definitely picked the wrong night to leave her shooting boots at home. If she'd finished one of her several chances, maybe we'd be talking about a different result... but she didn't, and the Snowmen scored a winner against the run of play in the 84th minute to send their supporters into raptures. The Blue and Green are now just two points from safety.
We spend a lot of time talking about Chongjibo's possession-oriented, high pressure, attacking philosophy, and with good reason. But one thing we really ought to give them more credit for is how astoundingly good their defense is. Lu Fang Huang's performances in particular have been stellar, even though he rarely has much to do. The Shockwaves got their business done early on a warm and sunny afternoon at the Huangse Migong, as Kian Zhi Yuan lashed one into the roof of the Baomao net on ninety seconds and then curled in another in the 23rd. It was the champions solidity and organization that caught the eye during the remainder of the contest, though, as the Black Cats slowly strangled. There's no doubt that Gui Fan Ren has narrowed the Shockwaves' shape in an effort to keep things more compact, and some purists have complained. But Ren's methods are causing clean sheets to stack up like dirty dishes in a university dorm; how can anyone in pink object? Speaking of clean sheets... consider this a trigger warning for those who like attacking football. The Saturday night game in Qiawutian, played in dry weather and mild temperatures, was frankly diabolical. The Avengers might have thought they'd got the poor performances out of their system after nuking Nongmin on matchday seven, but it's likely they were overconfident heading into matchday eight as their opponents (Zhayao) earned a reputation last season for being pourous at the back. The Avengers need to do better homework, as the Miners - while hardly perfect - have improved by leaps and bounds defensively, and stuck to their clear gameplan all night long. It was ugly and often cynical (see the last fifteen minutes if you want to see some of the most shameless time-wasting you've ever seen), but the Miners got it done as they kept it goalless and wrung a point out of a clearly superior Fuchou side. Credit to Zhayao manager Chun Lin for recognizing that the Burgundy might not have it in them to break down a tightly-packed defense.
Finally, on Sunday afternoon, it was gorgeous and sunny in Chumeichang as Qiji hosted Aierlanren. The two mid-table foes both had a chance to leapfrog Baomao and rise to fourth after the Black Cats' defeat the day before, and you could plainly see the ambition as the match began with pulsating end-to-end action. The Wizards broke the deadlock with a goal in the third minute after yanking holes open in the famous Gold and White defense with scintillating passing action. The Irish wouldn't be intimidated, though, restoring parity two minutes later as Chin Chih Yap slalomed across the top of the Qiji box before bashing the ball as hard as she could to Lai Hung's left, nearly tearing the net as it went in. After that metaphorical exchange of gunfire - no, Sheshou weren't playing - the match settled down and the tactical battle was Kwang Chih Lo's to lose. The Wizards easily won the possession battle, but found the Irish back line impossible to penetrate.
It's now a seven-point gap between first place Chongjibo and second place Fuchou, and already it feels like the League of the Two Sapphires trophy is staying put. Next week will be a huge test for the Avengers as they take on the Shockwaves in the two clubs' first matchup of the year. Baomao hang on to fourth place following the Qiji-Aierlanren draw, and Zhayao happily stay in seventh after their antics in Qiawutian. Sheshou stay in eighth, and will be looking nervously behind them as Xue's victory at the Ruan Tu means they are gaining on the Marksmen.
MATCHDAY 8
Nongmin 1-1 Sheshou
Xue 1-0 Yanjiang
Chongjibo 2-0 Baomao
Zhayao 0-0 Fuchou
Qiji 1-1 Aierlanren
League of the Two Sapphires Standings
Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
01 Chongjibo 8 7 1 0 18 2 +16 22
02 Fuchou 8 4 3 1 20 4 +16 15
3 Nongmin 8 4 2 2 17 9 +8 14
4 Baomao 8 3 2 3 9 12 -3 11
5 Qiji 8 2 4 2 8 10 -2 10
6 Aierlanren 8 2 3 3 7 7 +0 9
7 Zhayao 8 2 3 3 8 11 -3 9
8 Sheshou 8 1 5 2 8 11 -3 8
09 Xue 8 2 0 6 4 17 -13 6
10 Yanjiang 8 0 3 5 9 25 -16 3
MATCHDAY 8
Zhanshi 2-0 Jingying
Baiyi 0-2 Xiniu
Yinying 1-3 Qi'e
League of Ascension Standings
Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
01 Qi'e 8 6 2 0 13 3 +10 20
2 Xiniu 8 4 3 1 12 7 +5 15
3 Baiyi 8 3 2 3 9 8 +1 11
4 Zhanshi 8 3 1 4 9 8 +1 10
5 Yinying 8 3 1 4 11 12 -1 10
6 Jingying 8 0 1 7 2 18 -16 1