Two matches, two long-range strikes, a double kill over the Iron Men — the Liaoning Derby, Stanciu's "Magic Realm"

Special Contributor / Ding Xu Similar script, same outcome. After the first leg at Tiexi where they narrowly beat Liaoning Tieren Nanbowan 1-0, Dalian Yingbo Haifa returned to Suoyuwan and defeated the same opponent by the same score. 62,075 fans jointly completed a stunning giant TIFO, and "Magician" Stanciu cast his spell again, helping Yingbo achieve a "derby double kill" over their rivals. After the match, Stanciu declared boldly: "Yingbo is the best team on this land."

Since it was a provincial derby, both sides took the match very seriously. On the morning of the game, the Iron Men club suddenly issued an official statement calling on the Chinese Football Association to replace the referee, Shan Dan'ao, listing controversial matches he had officiated this year. Yingbo's head coach Li Guoxu commented on the situation after the match: "Some psychological warfare before a derby is normal. We just focus on our own affairs; doing our own thing well is more important than anything else."

The Iron Men's unusual move did not affect Yingbo's preparations at all. Li Guoxu admitted that Yingbo had noticed the situation before the match. "We carried a lot of pressure during this week's preparation. When we arrived at the entrance of Suoyuwan on the bus and saw the blue fireworks set off by the fans, we understood what we were here to do..."

When the Yingbo bus arrived at the stadium tunnel, the team's investor Wang Kui, who had been waiting there, high-fived and encouraged each player, repeatedly saying, "Relax, come on!"

The club's pre-match request to replace the referee was unprecedented in Chinese football history, and of course the Iron Men did not get their way. However, their action clearly put pressure on Shan Dan'ao. Throughout the match, the referee from Henan Football Association officiated cautiously. Although the game was "choppy," it was ultimately completed without incident.

With the CSL entering the final third of the season, there were no secrets between the two sides. Yingbo made only two adjustments to the lineup: Mamadou and Liao Jintao, who had been rested due to accumulating three yellow cards last round, returned to the starting eleven. Li Guoxu continued with his usual 4-2-3-1 formation. The Iron Men were short-handed, unable to even fill a 23-man squad, with three foreign players (Mbemba, Felipe, and Vagic) sidelined. However, Xu Zhengyuan, having tasted success with defensive counter-attacks last round, stuck with the 5-3-2 formation used against Shenhua.

In the 15th minute, Yingbo's first threatening attack resulted in a goal: Lü Zhuoyi crossed from the right inside channel, Stanciu turned away from Pan Ximing's defense and fired with his left foot just outside the arc, the ball slipping between Yuan Mincheng's legs into the bottom right corner. Before the match, the entire stadium's fans had completed a stunning four-sided TIFO featuring Stanciu, using the magician concept to honor the team's core player.

In the TIFO, Stanciu held two red magic books, which marked the dates of Yingbo's two previous victories over the Iron Men and a map of Dalian. "I didn't expect the fans to make such a TIFO. When I saw it, I was very surprised and moved. This TIFO means a lot to me, and I thank the Dalian fans from the bottom of my heart."

Stanciu, who joined Yingbo at the start of this season, has repeatedly made contributions. The Romanian began wearing the captain's armband from the 12th round, at home against West Coast, officially becoming Yingbo's captain and spiritual leader. In the 21 matches Yingbo has played so far, Stanciu has contributed 7 goals and 3 assists, directly involved in 10 of the team's goals. Yingbo has scored a total of 32 goals, with Stanciu involved in over 30%. In matches where Stanciu scored or assisted, Yingbo earned 19 points, accounting for nearly 60% of their total points.

It is worth noting that in the first leg against the Iron Men, it was Stanciu's world-class goal in the 84th minute that helped Yingbo secure three points away from home. Back at home, Stanciu performed another miracle, scoring the only goal of the match. "A derby is not just to be played—it's to be won. This victory is dedicated to the city of Dalian and all its people, because I know the meaning of the derby. We have also proven that Yingbo is the best team on this land," said Stanciu.

Dalian fans hoped with the TIFO that Stanciu would work his magic and lead Yingbo to victory, and their wish came true. Two rounds of the "Liaoning Derby," two 1-0 results, Stanciu was the protagonist in both. The derby that Dalian fans care about so much—Yingbo took all six points!

Returning to the match itself. After taking the lead, Yingbo did not let up. Bi Jinhao scored a rebound in the 19th minute, but it was ruled offside. Four minutes later, Luo Jing forced a save from Zhang Yan with a powerful shot from the middle of the penalty area. In first-half stoppage time, Liu Weiguo came out decisively to break up a potential one-on-one from Chen Binbin. In the first 45 minutes, Yingbo dominated the Iron Men in possession, shots, shots on target, passes, successful passes, tackles, interceptions, and free kicks.

After the break, both sides quickly got into the game. In the 47th minute, Achim Peng scored from the left side of the box but was ruled offside. Seven minutes later, Yan Dinghao scored from a long-range shot inside the arc, but An Yien had been in an offside position before the pass, so Yingbo escaped. In the 57th minute, Song Yue headed Stanciu's free kick too centrally.

In the 69th minute, An Yien set up a one-on-one chance for Rafinha, but the latter failed to control the ball properly. In the 87th minute, Rafinha pushed a shot from the left side of the box, and Liu Weiguo dived to hold it securely—this was the Iron Men's only shot on target in the entire match. In stoppage time, Malele unleashed a powerful drive from the edge of the arc, which Zhang Yan saved. Ultimately, Yingbo won 1-0 at home against the Iron Men.

Full-match statistics: Yingbo completed 12 shots, the Iron Men had 5; Yingbo had 4 shots on target (2 in each half), while the Iron Men had only 1 over 90 minutes. In terms of actual play, Yingbo created more goalscoring opportunities than the Iron Men.

Yingbo completed a "double kill" over their derby rivals this season, not only becoming the team with the highest home win rate in the CSL so far (72.7%, 8 wins in 11 matches), but also handing Xu Zhengyuan his first away defeat since taking charge of the Iron Men. Previously, under Xu Zhengyuan, the Iron Men had earned 5 points from 3 away matches (1 win, 2 draws). Before the Korean coach took over, the Iron Men had only managed 1 point and 2 goals in 6 away games.

Li Guoxu summarized: "We are very happy to win the derby at home. Actually, it's hard to say the match was exciting, but that's football—the result is very important to us. The players proved with their effort and hard work that they deserved to win. This is the spirit of Dalian at this stage. Everyone is very united, so we achieved the final victory."

At the start of this season, Liu Weiguo left the Iron Men after two seasons and returned to Dalian, becoming Yingbo's starting goalkeeper from the 12th round. Facing his former club, Liu Weiguo performed excellently and became one of the heroes of Yingbo's victory. Liu Weiguo said: "We gave the fans of both sides a fierce derby, and we are very happy to win this match. The coaching staff mainly helped us relieve pressure before the game, letting us calm down and enjoy the derby atmosphere, and take the match with a normal mindset. Unity and execution were the keys to Yingbo's victory."

After the first two matchdays of the 22nd round of the CSL, Yingbo's ranking rose to second, once again entering the AFC Champions League Two qualification zone. "We have a three-game week ahead, and we'll go back and adjust well to play our matches well."