Our first Cup match was away to Shenzhen under a sweltering heat. The game became an uphill struggle after PIAO’s own goal, which meant we had to reverse the score once again, as we did in Chanchung. Our goals did not arrive until the end, when DEJAN and ERTON, from the penalty spot, secured our place among the last 16. Our next rival will be BAXY, a team with renewed aspirations for promotion to the Super League. This will also be the first DERBY between local teams to take place in BEIJING.

There is still plenty of time to prepare that match, but the key point is that in the last two matches we have managed to win after overcoming adverse scores. This strong fighting mentality says a lot in favour of my team, who never concede a game until the very last minute. Such is the spirit of Beijing Guoan.

We must now continue on this positive path when we play at home against LIAONING and when we travel to South Korea for the Champions League match against the mighty leaders of the K-League, JEONBUK HYUNDAI MOTORS.

We are now the only Chinese team that is still competing in all three tournaments. This will be very demanding and physically exhausting, but I am sure that the players will give their all on the pitch so that our supporters will continue to feel proud of us.

Gregorio Manzano Ballesteros
Head Coach of Beijing Guoan Football Club