September 1: Dawan Focuses on AFC Champions League as Beijing Guoan Go Full Chinese Squad in FA Cup, Yang Liyu Takes on Key Role

On the evening of August 28 at Dalian Yingbo's home ground, after the final whistle in stoppage time, Beijing Guoan foreign player Dawan rushed from the substitutes' bench onto the pitch and struck the opponents' interpreter Li Gang and player Bi Jinhao one after another. The referee immediately showed him a red card. Three days later, the Chinese football governing body issued its punishment: an additional six-match suspension and a fine of 60,000 yuan. Combined with the automatic one-match suspension from the red card, Dawan will miss seven matches in total.

This red card completely changed Guoan's script for the season.

With five CSL rounds remaining, Dawan's suspension will first be served in domestic competitions, meaning he will definitely miss the remaining league matches this season. How will the other two suspension matches be handled? It depends on how far Guoan advance in the FA Cup. If they reach the final, he will serve one match each in the semifinal and final, clearing the suspension this season; if they are eliminated, the remaining suspension will carry over to the first two CSL rounds of the 2027 season.

Interestingly, the AFC Champions League Elite is not included in this punishment. At 20:15 on September 15, Guoan will face K League side Pohang Steelers at Workers' Stadium in the opening AFC Champions League match. Dawan can play normally and has effectively become Guoan's 'AFC Champions League-only foreign player'.

The chain reaction from this incident came immediately.

At 19:35 on September 1, in the FA Cup quarterfinal at Beijing Workers' Stadium, Guoan will host China League Two side Lanzhou Longyuan Athletic. The match was originally scheduled to be Lanzhou's home game, but because Lanzhou Olympic Sports Center was hosting a concert at the same time and alternative venues did not meet the requirements, the FA Cup organizing committee officially moved the match to Workers' Stadium.

According to the FA Cup's 'lower-level principle', when a CSL team faces a League Two team, foreign players, naturalized players and players from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are all unavailable. Therefore, the five foreign players Fabio, Nkololo, Ramos, Conte and Dawan will watch from the stands in suits, while naturalized players Sergio and Ru Zinan also cannot play. Guoan can only field a fully domestic squad.

Lanzhou Longyuan Athletic are by no means an easy opponent. They are the only League Two team among this season's FA Cup quarterfinalists, having eliminated Meizhou Hakka from League One, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger from the CSL and Shaanxi Union from League One, producing three consecutive upsets. Guoan themselves only narrowly defeated League Two side Dalian K'un in the previous FA Cup round, winning 2-1 away, and have even lost to amateur-level teams in their history. Facing a League Two team with an all-Chinese squad will be much more challenging than expected.

The injury list continues to grow. In addition to Dawan's seven-match suspension, Spajic, Han Jiaqi, He Yupeng, Wu Shaocong and Conte are all injured. Lin Liangming continues his recovery, while Li Lei has a minor injury. The available defensive options can almost be counted on one hand: Bai Yang, Abduhaimiti and Wang Gang, plus U21 youngsters Fan Shuangjie and Deng Jiefu.

Montgomery actually has very limited choices in his lineup selection.

In goal, Hou Sen may be rested for one match, giving young goalkeeper Liu Shaoziyang a chance to make his Workers' Stadium debut. In defense, Bai Yang and Abduhaimiti are expected to form the central pairing, youngster Deng Jiefu will take the left-back role, while Wang Gang is suffering from heavy physical demands and Fan Shuangjie has a chance to start.

The midfield is the hardest-hit area. With Dawan suspended, the ball-winning combination of Chi Zhongguo and Jia Feifan is the first choice, with Zhang Xizhe organizing from the attacking midfield position.

In attack, Lin Liangming remains absent due to injury. Zhang Yuning has just scored a header away against Dalian and is in good form but under physical strain, while Cao Yongjing provides a threat from the wing. In this situation, Yang Liyu has almost been pushed into a starting role.

Why Yang Liyu? Because Guoan have no other choice.

Zhang Yuning needs someone to create space through movement, Cao Yongjing is better suited for wing attacks, and the only player currently able to provide speed and running on the other flank is Yang Liyu. With Guoan's attacking options depleted, this recently controversial player has to shoulder the responsibility.

Fans have raised many doubts about Yang Liyu. In the previous match against Dalian Yingbo, the Delgado he was marking scored a spectacular goal, and many fans felt after the match that Yang's attitude was not positive enough. Discussions on social media about whether he deserves a starting place have been intense.

However, within the current all-Chinese squad structure, Montgomery does not have a better option.

Yang Liyu being pushed into the starting lineup reflects Guoan's forced adjustments to their season plan. Dawan's seven-match suspension directly weakens the midfield, removing the team's most important defensive shield on the FA Cup title-defense path. Meanwhile, Guoan have found a possible boost in the AFC Champions League route: the AFC Champions League-only foreign midfielder Jeremy Dudziak and forward Shadrack Acquah signed at the end of the summer transfer window can only play in the AFC Champions League. Reports indicate Shadrack has arrived in Beijing to join the team and could start alongside Dawan and naturalized player Sergio in the AFC Champions League.

However, there are also uncertainties surrounding Shadrack. Reports say he was temporarily unable to enter the country because of visa issues, and more than a month had passed from his signing until August 27 without him arriving in Beijing. With fewer than 20 days before the AFC Champions League begins, even if the visa is approved immediately, he would have less than ten days at most to adjust to the time difference, recover physically and train with the team. A foreign player who has never practiced tactics with his teammates being thrown straight into the first AFC Champions League match creates uncertainty over how much he can contribute.

Conte's situation has also confused fans. He received his fourth yellow card of the season against Tianjin on August 15 and was automatically suspended for one match under CSL rules, which is why he missed Guoan's rescheduled match against Shanghai Shenhua on August 18. However, Conte was still absent from the squad list when Guoan played Dalian Yingbo away on August 28. Unofficial reports say Conte has a groin injury and is expected to be sidelined for around a month. As a key midfielder, if he also misses the AFC Champions League opener, Guoan's midfield rotation pressure will increase further.

Pohang Steelers have also not been in great form in the K League this season, with 9 wins, 4 draws and 10 losses in 24 league matches, ranking seventh with 31 points. They suffered a five-game losing streak at one point before ending it with a 2-1 away win over Gwangju on August 15. At 8:15 p.m. on September 15 at Workers' Stadium, Guoan will face this experienced Korean side with a depleted squad.

If Zhang Yuning is unavailable, who will play as the center forward? With Bai Yang suspended, who will protect the left side? Shadrack has not arrived, so where will attacking rotation come from? Whether Conte can make it remains a question mark.

Returning to the September 1 FA Cup match, Guoan voluntarily covered the related costs caused by the venue change and provided the 3,000 tickets in the away supporters' area free of charge and in full to Lanzhou Longyuan Athletic for distribution among Gansu-based fans. Lanzhou Longyuan Athletic's official statement thanked Guoan, saying this reflected the 'professional football club's sense of responsibility and warmth.'

There is sportsmanship off the pitch, but a tough battle awaits on it.

Liu Shaoziyang; Li Lei, Bai Yang, Haimiti, Wang Gang; Deng Jiefu, Zhang Xizhe, Jia Feifan, Cao Yongjing; Zhang Yuning, Yang Liyu — this is the predicted starting framework from outside observers. Eleven domestic players, with no foreign player support and no naturalized-player rescue option.

Standing on the Workers' Stadium pitch, Yang Liyu carries not only the pressure of facing Lanzhou Longyuan Athletic's defense, but also fan doubts, the reality of depleted attacking options, and the need to adjust before the AFC Champions League opener. The attacker pushed into the starting role must regain his rhythm in the shortest possible time.

Behind Dawan being able to focus on the AFC Champions League is Guoan's determination to endure the FA Cup challenge with a fully Chinese squad.

And Yang Liyu is the most important gear in this all-Chinese attack.