September 8: Four-minute brace turns into empty joy as Three Towns concede equalizer despite lead and extra man — was this point worth it?

Let's come together for the Asian Games.

A free kick from a former player turned Three Towns' three points into one.

In the 83rd minute, Davidson stood over the free kick, and the hearts of the 30,377 fans at Wuhan Sports Center were left hanging. He curled a right-footed effort around the wall and into the top corner. Goalkeeper Fang Jingqi failed to make the save, and the score became 2-2. This Davidson was once a player for Wuhan Three Towns.

Just three minutes after kickoff, Davidson sent in a cross from the left, and the ball curled directly into the far corner as West Coast took a 1-0 lead. But Three Towns did not panic. In the 19th minute, Ming Tian crossed from the right, and Cadiz's header forced West Coast goalkeeper Li Hao into a spill. Bevis followed up with a finish to make it 1-1. Just four minutes later, Sauer delivered a right-side corner, Cadiz headed again, Li Hao spilled once more, and Bevis scored from the ground to complete his brace as Three Towns turned the match around to lead 2-1.

West Coast goalkeeper Li Hao, one of the highly regarded Chinese national team goalkeepers in the Chinese Super League, had a disastrous performance in this match. He made four separate handling errors, including one on Adriano's long-range shot in the first half and another while dealing with a cross in the second half. Two of those directly led to goals conceded, turning West Coast's lead into a deficit. The player expected to be China's first-choice goalkeeper at the Asian Games is currently showing a worrying level of form.

In the 62nd minute, West Coast's Dong Yu received two yellow cards within five minutes, resulting in a red card, leaving Three Towns with an extra player. With a 2-1 lead and a numerical advantage, three points appeared secure. Unexpectedly, Three Towns chose to retreat after taking the lead, dropping their defensive line significantly, surrendering midfield possession, and trying to protect the result. Coach Suarez admitted after the match that the team was asked to control the tempo after gaining the extra man, but some small mistakes occurred.

In the 70th minute, Three Towns defensive core He Guan suffered an injury during a challenge and fell to the ground, unable to continue. He was carried off on a stretcher, holding his knee and unable to lie flat, with the injury appearing serious. Suarez was forced to replace him with Zheng Kaimu, and the captain's armband changed hands. He Guan's injury made an already withdrawn defense even more vulnerable.

In the 83rd minute, Davidson stepped up for the free kick and sent a stunning shot into the top corner to make it 2-2, allowing West Coast to complete an equalizer while playing a man down. This was not Davidson's first goal of the match; he had already scored a quick opener in the third minute. In the 48th minute of the second half, another goal from him was ruled out by VAR for offside. Interestingly, Davidson did not celebrate either goal. As a former Three Towns player, he also sent his best wishes to his old club after the match, saying he hoped Three Towns could stay in the Chinese Super League because the team from this city deserved to remain there.

Another major focus of the match was the unusual VAR malfunction. In the 40th minute, the signal transmission between the venue and the Beijing VAR center suddenly failed. The technical team activated an emergency plan, with the fourth official, who held video assistant referee qualifications, temporarily taking over VAR duties, while the first assistant referee also covered fourth-official responsibilities. The incident disrupted the flow of the match. Near the end of the first half, West Coast's Aziz scored with a header, but VAR reviewed the incident for four minutes and eventually ruled it out for offside. In the 48th minute of the second half, Davidson scored again, and VAR intervened for another five minutes before ruling it offside. The referee spent almost the entire time standing in the center circle wearing his headset, repeatedly affecting the emotions of players and fans.

Even more unusually, no stoppage-time board was raised at the end of the first half, and the referee blew the whistle immediately because the fourth official had gone to assist with VAR. The malfunction quickly sparked discussion. West Coast head coach Zheng Zhi indirectly responded at the post-match press conference, saying the match was intense but not very smooth, with too many goal incidents requiring referee reviews, preventing the rhythm from connecting and making the viewing experience less enjoyable. The Chinese Professional Football League organization issued a statement, acknowledging that the incident affected fans' viewing experience, offering a sincere apology, and promising a full review of the malfunction, inspections and optimization of the VAR transmission chain, and improvements to technical redundancy and emergency response mechanisms.

Some media figures revealed that this was not the first VAR problem in the Chinese Super League. In the 2024 season match between Cangzhou Mighty Lions and Beijing Guoan, VAR equipment suffered an overheating failure due to high temperatures. In the fourth round of the 2026 season, VAR review in the Shanghai Port versus Yunnan Yukun match was interrupted for six full minutes. The Chinese Super League currently has only 12 camera positions per match on average, while FIFA's recommended standard is 33. Camera frame rates are mostly 50P, far below FIFA's suggested standard of above 100P. For Three Towns, this draw meant gaining one point but losing two. After the draw, Three Towns had 20 points from 24 matches, while Tianjin Jinmen Tiger beat Zhejiang 2-1 at home in the same round to reach 22 points, moving two points ahead and pushing Three Towns back into the relegation zone.

Qingdao Hainiu have only 14 points from 26 matches and have virtually secured one relegation spot. In reality, Three Towns' biggest relegation rival is Tianjin Jinmen Tiger. However, Three Towns still have two postponed matches remaining: a home game against Henan on September 12 and an away game against Zhejiang on September 18. If they win both, their points total would rise to 26 and their survival prospects would improve greatly. However, the scheduling has also caused controversy, as both postponed matches were arranged during the September international break window, and several Three Towns players may be called up to the national team, making it difficult to guarantee a full squad. A Three Towns insider also admitted that some matches were decided by just one more push, saying they really did not know why things had turned out this way.

Three Towns do have scoring ability. In their last six matches, they have recorded two wins, three draws, and one loss. Their attacking foreign player Cadiz ranks among the top three scorers, but their efficiency in key matches has been seriously lacking. After taking the lead, they often choose to sit back instead of continuing to apply pressure with the numerical advantage. Even with an extra player, they were pushed back by West Coast, lost midfield control, and eventually conceded from a set piece, exposing shortcomings in both tactical execution and mentality.