Yanbian Longding came away with a 3-2 win against Ningbo Professional in League One's Regular Season round 20 on Friday evening. Giovanny scored all three goals for the visitors, while Leonardo grabbed two for the hosts before the final whistle. The result keeps Yanbian in fourth place on 35 points and leaves Ningbo seventh on 26.
Giovanny opened the scoring in the 31st minute, then doubled his tally just before the break in the 47th. And here's the thing about the third — he didn't have to wait long, adding another in the 61st to complete his hat trick. Ningbo responded through Leonardo, who scored in the 37th and then converted a penalty in the 90th minute plus two.
By then the hosts had been chasing for a while. They kept possession and moved the ball around, but Yanbian created more clear-cut opportunities. The visitors registered five big chances against Ningbo's one, and their shot accuracy sat at 45 per cent compared to 33.
That discrepancy showed up in the numbers. Ningbo held 54 per cent of the ball with 435 passes, but they managed only three shots on target. Yanbian, with less possession, struck five times on goal and took advantage of their chances more efficiently.
The win extends Yanbian's advantage over Ningbo by nine points in the standings. The visitors have now played 21 matches with nine wins, while Ningbo sit on 20 games after this result. The visitors looked comfortable enough to hold on, despite a late surge from the hosts.