Beijing Guoan's Five-Point Crisis Turnaround: Top-Three League Push, Unbeaten Run Continues, and AFC Qualification Race Intensifies

On the evening of September 5, Shanghai Port drew 0-0 at home with Beijing Guoan in the 26th round of the Chinese Super League. After the clean-sheet draw, Guoan moved to third place with 38 points. Starting the season with a five-point deduction and negative points, they have firmly entered the AFC qualification zone after 26 rounds, and no one views them as the team that was once expected to fight relegation.

Many people describe Guoan's run as a miracle, but in reality, after their 3-2 away loss to Henan FC on May 23, the team have not lost again in either the CSL or the Chinese FA Cup. With the draw against Port in the 26th round, they have now gone 15 consecutive matches unbeaten in all competitions.

Facing last season's defending champions away from home, Guoan did not choose to simply sit back. In the 18th minute, Cao Yongjing's shot from the edge of the penalty area went narrowly wide. In the 41st minute, Zhang Xizhe delivered a corner and Cao's near-post header created another threat. The first half showed no one-sided dominance in attack or defense.

Port increased their attacking pace in the second half. In the 47th minute, Deng Jieyi made an immediate block to stop a close-range shot. In the 67th minute, Yang Liyu delivered a quality cross, but Serginho failed to make proper contact with his attempt and missed the best chance to take all three points away from home.

In the final 15 minutes, Port repeatedly created pressure inside Guoan's penalty area. In the 77th minute, Hou Sen made a side-on save to stop a low shot, and two minutes later he completed another key block. The team protected the 0-0 scoreline until the final whistle through continuous defensive support and covering.

After the draw, Guoan have gone 10 consecutive away league matches without a defeat and can consistently collect points even against teams near the top of the standings.

Going back to January 29 this year, the Ministry of Public Security, General Administration of Sport, and Chinese Football Association jointly held a press conference announcing the 2026 professional league points penalty results. Beijing Guoan were deducted five points and fined 400,000 yuan, entering the new season with negative points before the campaign had officially begun.

After the first 15 league rounds, Guoan had only recorded five wins, five draws, and five losses, ranking 10th at the halfway point. Almost no one could have predicted their speed of recovery in the second half of the season.

During that period, Montgomery's team had none of the margin for error usually available to strong teams at the start of a season. Serginho, the midfield core, started almost every match and had few opportunities for complete rotation and rest. Every game required maximum effort to collect points, leaving little room for squad rotation and chemistry building.

After the away defeat to Henan FC on May 23, the team instead completed the most important tactical shift of the season. Montgomery's 4-4-2 system, which had been refined for half a season, finally took full shape.

The protection of the area in front of the penalty box by defensive midfielders, the recovery speed of full-backs, and the defensive coordination between center-backs all improved significantly compared with the start of the season. In the following nine matches across two competitions, they defeated Shandong Taishan and Wuhan Three Towns and won away at Chongqing Tonglianglong, no longer giving opponents easy opportunities to break through their defense.

On August 7, Guoan defeated Shenzhen Peng City 4-0 at home. Zhang Yuning, Da Wan with a brace, and Fabio each scored. After this big win, the team extended their league unbeaten run to seven matches, reached 29 points, and climbed to third place in the CSL standings for the first time.

On August 15 in the 23rd CSL round, Guoan faced Tianjin Jinmen Tiger away. The score remained 2-2 until the 62nd minute, when Serginho provided a through pass from the center to assist a go-ahead goal. In the 81st minute, he delivered his second assist to help the team seal a 4-2 victory.

After this crucial win, Guoan recorded four wins and one draw in their last five matches, jumping directly from 10th to second place. Their gap with league leaders Chengdu Rongcheng remained at 13 points, and the previously one-sided title race was given new suspense by this team that started with negative points.

Many people only noticed the winning streak in the second half of the season, while overlooking Guoan's financial restructuring plan launched at the beginning of the campaign.

The management set a goal of achieving financial balance within three years, sold unnecessary high-salary players, and greatly reduced spending on transfer fees. On the surface this was cost cutting, but after removing redundant personnel, the competition atmosphere in the dressing room became more focused. Players no longer stayed simply because of high salaries, and everyone remaining in the squad had to fight fully for playing time.

This change in mentality has provided stronger support for the team's continued point accumulation during the long second half of the league season than tactical and technical development alone.

After 26 rounds, Guoan have 38 points and sit third. Qingdao West Coast also have 38 points in fourth, while Shandong Taishan have 37 points in fifth. From second-place Dalian Yingbo's 40 points to fifth-place Shandong's 37, the gap among the four teams is only three points, and the competition for three AFC qualification places has entered an intense stage.

Shanghai Port, who also started the season with a five-point deduction, have 33 points after 26 rounds and rank seventh. Although they signed Spanish midfielder Melendo during the summer window to strengthen possession and Wu Lei returned from injury to help them achieve four wins and one draw in their last five matches, their chase from minus five points has been more difficult than Guoan's.

With seven league rounds remaining, Guoan will first face Qingdao Hainiu away, then host Qingdao West Coast, and afterward travel to challenge Henan FC. The results of these three matches will directly determine whether they can firmly hold onto their AFC qualification spot.

On September 15, Guoan will also host their first opponent in the AFC Champions League Elite competition, Pohang Steelers. The pressure of squad rotation from competing on two fronts is greater than at any previous stage.

As long as there is no major external factor disrupting this rhythm, every step they take from here will be steadier than at the beginning of the season. Do you need this article's seven key point-earning matches that took Guoan from 10th at the halfway stage to third place organized into a separate timeline data list?