Chengdu Better City vs Meizhou Kejia Match Recap - Oct 17, 2025

Chengdu’s Title Pursuit Rolls On: Better City Outlasts Meizhou Kejia 3-1 in Clinical Display at Phoenix Hill

As dusk settled over Chengdu Phoenix Hill Sports Park, the tension was palpable. Second-place Chengdu Better City, still in the thick of a title chase, had everything to lose against a scrappy Meizhou Kejia side fighting for survival at the foot of the Super League. By the final whistle, the narrative was one of ambition sustained and pressure mounting, as Chengdu powered past Meizhou 3-1, keeping themselves firmly in the championship conversation.

From the outset, the match bristled with urgency befitting late-season stakes. Chengdu entered the contest with 55 points from 26 played, trailing only the league leaders, while Meizhou, 14th with 20 points, were desperate for spoils to steer clear of the drop zone. Recent form had been a harbinger of Chengdu’s self-belief: unbeaten in three with a memorable AFC Champions League victory away to Gangwon FC last month and a pair of hard-fought draws keeping momentum alive. For Meizhou, the season’s struggles have been plain—just one win in their last five, including a humbling 1-6 thrashing at Shanghai Shenhua.

It took less than twenty minutes for the home side to affirm their ambitions. Chengdu’s early pressing was sharp, their midfield trio dictating tempo, and in the 18th minute, midfielder Ming Yang Yang pounced on a loose ball at the edge of the area. His strike whistled through traffic and nestled into the bottom corner—an early lead, and a cool exhale from Chengdu’s faithful. Yang’s goal, his fourth of the campaign, encapsulated the team’s commitment to attacking with numbers and exploiting even the faintest cracks in Meizhou’s defense.

To their credit, Meizhou responded with the resolve of a side unwilling to settle for defeat. Only seven minutes after going behind, a slick counterattack undid Chengdu’s defensive shape. The visitors’ equalizer in the 25th minute, the scorer still unconfirmed at the time of filing, came from a well-timed run into the box and a deft finish under pressure. For Chengdu, it was a reminder that no match—least of all against a desperate underdog—would grant them easy passage.

The game’s ebb and flow persisted well into the second half. Both sides probed for weakness, but Chengdu’s quality gradually asserted itself. The pivotal moment arrived with twenty minutes left, when Dutch defender Timo Letschert soared above Meizhou’s back line to nod home a fizzing corner in the 70th minute. The goal, Letschert’s first since joining the club, was emblematic of Chengdu’s set-piece prowess and marked a psychological shift on the pitch. Meizhou, having clawed back once, looked increasingly worn beneath the weight of relentless pressure.

Chengdu’s victory was sealed in the 82nd minute. Brazilian playmaker Rômulo, renowned for his poise in the final third, capped a flowing counterattack with a close-range finish. It was his third goal in as many league matches, underlining his vital role in Chengdu’s late-season surge. The home crowd, sensing a job well done, roared in approval as the scoreboard signaled daylight between the teams.

Key decisions and discipline punctuated the contest, but neither side saw red, and the match was largely free of controversy. Instead, it was a story of clinical finishing and sustained intensity, with Chengdu’s depth and experience ultimately the difference.

Tonight’s result tightens Chengdu’s grip on second place, bringing them to 55 points—within striking distance of the summit and widening the gap over third. The recent streak—a Champions League win, a pair of league draws, and now two straight victories—suggests a squad peaking when it matters most. If their set-piece threat and attacking fluency can be sustained, the championship remains within their grasp.

Meizhou, meanwhile, are left searching for answers and a spark amid a difficult run of form. With just five wins all season and only one in their last five, their position—14th, with relegation worries growing ever louder—demands an urgent response. The team’s resilience is evident, but conceding late and often has become a motif threatening their top-flight survival.

Their head-to-head history in recent years has rarely seen Meizhou seize the upper hand, and this latest setback adds another chapter in Chengdu’s favor. The visitors must now regroup and rediscover their defensive solidity, with fixtures looming that will define their season’s fate.

For Chengdu Better City, the path ahead is paved with possibility and peril in equal measure. Every fixture is now weighted with championship implications. For Meizhou Kejia, the fight for survival has slipped into the realm of necessity. Tonight in Chengdu, the narrative was clear: a contender marching onward, and an underdog left running out of runway.