Guangxi Hanchen lost 0-1 to Hebei Kungfu in the League One regular season match on Saturday. The result leaves the hosts third on 36 points from 21 games while Hebei move up to seventh with 27 points after 22 matches. The visitors took all three points from a game where they did very little for long stretches.
C. Zhao scored the only goal in the 83rd minute. To be fair, Guangxi had chances to lead earlier but failed to convert. They created two big opportunities and had 13 shots, three on target, but could not find the net. Hebei managed only one big chance from three shots, all on target.
And here's the thing about possession statistics. Guangxi held 64 per cent of the ball and made 580 passes compared to Hebei's 334. They crossed 37 times and played 183 passes into the final third. But shots tell a different story, and Hebei's accuracy of 50 per cent against Guangxi's 14 per cent showed where the danger lay.
Hebei started the second half with a fresh approach, bringing on T. Conraad in the 46th minute. Guangxi made several changes as well, including H. Vidal and Liang Yibin. The game opened up after Zhao's goal, and Hebei saw a VAR-confirmed effort from Ji Tianle cancelled in the 85th minute. L. Lapoussin received a red card in stoppage time, leaving Guangxi to finish with ten men.
Guangxi come into this match after mixed results, with wins against Nanjing City and Meizhou Hakka sandwiched between losses. Hebei have kept a cleaner sheet recently, winning four of their last five league games. This result means the hosts cannot extend their lead at the top, while Hebei close the gap on teams above them.