Qingdao Daily/Guanhai News, November 22 – In the final round of the Chinese Super League season this afternoon, Qingdao Hainiu played away to Zhejiang FC in Hangzhou. A crucial brace from Felicio Brown Forbes allowed them to fight back for a 2-2 draw. By earning this valuable point, Hainiu ultimately secured their survival in the top flight.
Coming into the match, Hainiu held a 3-point lead over the relegation zone, placing them on the brink of safety. A single point from this away game was all they needed to guarantee their place in the league for another season. Even a loss would have sufficed, provided that relegation rivals Meizhou Hakka, trailing by three points, failed to win their away match against Beijing Guoan.
Hainiu had regrouped early this month to prepare for the final fixture, fielding a full-strength starting lineup led by their four foreign players. Meanwhile, Zhejiang FC, comfortably positioned in seventh place with nothing tangible to play for, were nevertheless motivated to end their last home game of the season on a high note.
Hainiu appeared sluggish in the opening 10 minutes, allowing Zhejiang to create several dangerous opportunities. A goal for the home side in the 10th minute was correctly ruled out for offside. Hainiu responded in the 17th minute with a counter-attack, but Sarić’s shot from inside the penalty area was blocked by a defender. The deadlock was broken in the 31st minute when a misplaced pass from Hainiu was intercepted, leading to an attack that finished with Frank heading the ball into the net. Trailing by a goal, Hainiu forged a strong response, creating two clear-cut chances before Felicio Brown Forbes leveled the score on a swift counter just before halftime.
Ten minutes into the second half, Frank unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the box that found the net, but the goal was disallowed due to a foul in the build-up. In the 60th minute, Zhejiang reclaimed the lead when Lucas headed home from a corner kick to make it 2-1. But in the dying moments of the game, Felicio Brown Forbes struck again with a superb shot from just outside the box to equalize once more.
The match ended in a 2-2 stalemate, a result that sealed Qingdao Hainiu's successful bid to avoid relegation. (Text by Xu Nuo, Photo by Wang Lei, Qingdao Daily/Guanhai News)
Editor: Yuan Ruichen
