"Double Card" Shines, Guangzhou Leopards Win Tough Battle

Reporter Wang Wei reports On the evening of August 9, the 18th round of the 2026 China League One season, the highly anticipated Guangdong-Guangxi Derby took place at Yuexiu Mountain Stadium. The league leaders, Guangzhou Leopards, hosted Guangxi Hengchen, who sit third in the standings. The home team won 2-0 thanks to a goal and an assist from foreign player Kamara and a goal from Carlos, avenging their away defeat in the first leg and extending their unbeaten run to nine league matches. They now have 40 points, continuing to lead the standings. After the match, Guangzhou Leopards head coach Feng Feng said, "The game was intense, truly a tough battle. Hengchen is a team with high combat discipline, and neither side played conservatively. Our players showed their fighting spirit and desire for victory."

As the league leaders of this season's China League One, Guangzhou Leopards had 37 points before the match, firmly occupying the top spot with an eight-match unbeaten streak. The newly promoted team Guangxi Hengchen, considered the biggest dark horse of the season, sat third with 29 points before the match, maintaining their hopes of promotion.

Guangzhou Leopards and Guangxi Hengchen share deep ties, having both been promoted from the CMCL to the China League Two in the same period, making them well acquainted with each other's tactics and player characteristics. After former national team player and Feng Feng's former teammate Peng Weiguo became the general manager of Guangxi Hengchen, the club's operations improved, supporting the team's steady development. This match was also Peng Weiguo's "homecoming trip." However, in the third round of the season, Guangzhou Leopards lost 0-1 away to Guangxi Hengchen, suffering their first defeat of the season. Therefore, this match was filled with a sense of revenge.

Head coach Feng Feng carefully designed the starting lineup. Recovered Yang Hao was included in the starting eleven, while Huang Shenghao replaced the injured Hou Yu at defensive midfield, and Wang Jianming also started. The biggest change was in the forward line: Guangzhou Leopards kept Brazilian foreign player Carlos, who returned during the second transfer window, on the bench, and placed Wang Jingbin as the starting center forward.

In the first half, both sides fought fiercely in midfield, each creating scoring opportunities but failing to deliver the decisive blow. In the second half, Guangzhou Leopards made the first substitution, replacing Wang Jingbin with Carlos to pose a greater threat to Guangxi Hengchen's attack.

Carlos and Kamara combined to create several attacking opportunities in the front, but their shots went wide one after another. In the 64th minute, Guangzhou Leopards made further substitutions, bringing on Gao Huaze for Yang Hao and Duan Yunzi for Xiao Kun. In the 72nd minute, Gao Huaze's cross from the right found Kamara in the penalty area, who headed the ball into the net to break the deadlock, making it 1-0. Then Guangzhou Leopards continued to substitute, bringing on Wang Junjie for Huang Shenghao to strengthen the attack. In the 83rd minute, Carlos received a cross from Kamara and scored a clever shot in the box, sealing the 2-0 victory. With this win, Guangzhou Leopards extended their unbeaten run to nine games, reaching 40 points and consolidating their promotion advantage.

After returning to Guangzhou Leopards in the summer transfer window, Carlos scored only once in his first five starts, in the away match against Nanjing City, and then went into a goal drought. In his sixth game back, he came off the bench and finally broke the drought, and the goal was scored with composure. "I knew this game was very important. I had a slight thigh injury in the past two weeks, but I gave my all in this match," Carlos said with a smile after the game. "I like to play full games, but I have no objections to the coach's arrangement. I will recover next week and do my best in the next match."

After the match, Feng Feng explained several detail changes in the lineup: "We made some changes in this game. First, we changed the formation. We wanted to play a more intense game, matching up well in personnel and strengthening the midfield. On the other hand, Carlos was not in good physical condition and couldn't yet play 90 minutes, especially in this hot weather, so we put him on in the second half, where he would be more threatening. The result proved that our adjustments were very effective."

In the 60th minute of the match, Feng Feng specifically said a few words to Nikon and Kamara on the sideline. After the game, Feng Feng said, "When the game was deadlocked, some players tend to get anxious. I wanted them to be calmer. I knew there would be opportunities later, so I hoped they would stay calm and seize them." Sure enough, the score changed 10 minutes later.

Regarding the outstanding performance of young defensive midfielder Huang Shenghao in this match, Feng Feng said, "He has played some games since last year and also performed well in this year's Toulon Tournament. We will use him according to the game situation, for example, letting him play the full 90 minutes in the FA Cup. I also told him to take it slow, not to rush, and to adapt gradually. Today's performance can be summed up as perfect. A young player facing such an intense match showed great courage, fought hard, and is a very promising young player."