Nantong Zhijun claimed a comfortable 3:1 victory over Usi Wugao in the League One Regular Season on Saturday, moving further clear in their push for a top-four finish. The visitors took all three points at the 23rd round fixture, with their performance reflecting the gap between fourth and eleventh in the table. To be fair, the result was never in doubt after the break.
Lucas Kal opened the scoring for the hosts at the 43rd minute, catching the defence off guard before the interval. Usi Wugao looked comfortable in possession, though their 42 per cent share tells only part of the story. And here's the thing — they created just one big chance all game, while Nantong found six.
The home side's advantage evaporated quickly after the restart. N. Albarracin equalised at 56 minutes, turning the momentum firmly away from the hosts. By then, Usi were already pulling bodies in the way, but the visitors had found their rhythm.
E. Gonzalez was the difference-maker, netting twice in ten minutes to put the game beyond question. His first goal came at 69 minutes, and he got over the line again at 77 to complete his brace. The visitors ran out of legs eventually, but not before securing a result that matters.
The statistics paint a clear picture of where the match was decided. Nantong registered 10 shots compared to Usi's 7, with 5 on target against 3. They completed 447 passes to the hosts' 320, and their 63 passes into the final third versus 45 shows where the danger came from. Big chances created tell the real story — 6 for Nantong, 1 for Usi.
The result leaves Usi Wugao on 26 points from 21 games in 11th place, while Nantong Zhijun move to 39 points from 22 matches in fourth. The hosts have not won since their 2:0 victory over Yanbian Longding five days ago, while the visitors have shown enough consistency to keep their ambitions alive.
