The Guangzhou Evergrande, one of the most successful football clubs in China, faced their arch-rivals, the Shandong Luneng, in the first round of the Chinese Super League relegation match on Saturday night.
Despite the fact that Guangzhou had lost their previous three matches and were already relegated to the second division, they gave it their best shot against their rivals.
In the first half, both teams struggled to find a way through each other's defense, with neither side managing to create any clear-cut chances.
However, in the second half, things started to change as Guangzhou began to exert more pressure on their opponents' goal.
In the 62nd minute, Guangzhou finally found the breakthrough when a corner kick was headed home by Zhang Tiefeng.
This goal sparked a burst of energy from the Guangzhou players, who continued to press forward and create more scoring opportunities.
Unfortunately for them, Shandong managed to equalize just two minutes later through a well-taken penalty kick from Liu Xiang.
Despite this setback, Guangzhou refused to give up and continued to push forward.
In the 87th minute, Guangzhou once again found the breakthrough when a cross from the left flank was headed into the back of the net by Wu Yuanyuan.
This goal proved to be enough for Guangzhou to secure a much-needed point in the relegation match.
As the final whistle blew, the Guangzhou fans erupted in joy and celebration, while the Shandong fans could only watch helplessly as their team conceded defeat.
Overall, it was a tough game for both teams, but Guangzhou emerged victorious after a hard-fought battle.
With this result, Guangzhou has given themselves some hope of staying in the top flight next season, although it remains to be seen if they can maintain their form over the rest of the season.
In conclusion, it was another thrilling match between two of the biggest clubs in Chinese football, and it will be interesting to see how these two sides perform in the coming weeks and months.