Suzhou Dongwu beat Nanjing City 2:0 in the League One Regular Season on Saturday, with midfielder M. Ali scoring both goals to secure the three points at home.
And here's the thing about the opening exchange: Ali's first strike came in the twentieth minute, a moment that set the tempo for everything after. Nanjing pushed back but the visitors' defensive shape never quite held, especially when Ali doubled his tally just before the hour mark.
By then the visitors had already seen J. Ngom Mbekeli and D. Gao booked, yellow cards that added to their mounting problems. The hosts made changes at the break, bringing on Bruno Baio and Wang Xijie, while Nanjing responded with similar tactical adjustments.
Suzhou kept their heads when it mattered. Ali's second goal in the sixtieth minute gave them the cushion they needed, and the hosts made further substitutions at the sixty-minute mark, introducing Fu Shang and W. Qurban to manage the closing stages.
The numbers tell part of the story. Suzhou held 58 per cent possession and registered five shots on target compared to Nanjing's single attempt, though the visitors created nothing of real value despite their 42 per cent share of the ball.
What it means in the table: Suzhou move up to twelfth on 22 points from 22 games, while Nanjing drop to fourteenth, one point adrift after their fifth defeat from the same number of matches.