Nantong Zhiyun vs Guangxi Baoyun Match Recap - Oct 19, 2025

Kolev at the Double as Nantong Zhiyun Cruise Past Guangxi Baoyun, Strengthening Their League One Ambitions

On a blustery autumn afternoon at Rugao Olympic Sports Center, Nantong Zhiyun delivered the kind of performance that defines a late-season push, dispatching Guangxi Baoyun 3-0 behind a clinical brace from Aleksandar Kolev that left the visiting defense reeling and reinforced the hosts’ growing ambitions in the crowded League One playoff chase.

There was little room for subtlety in Nantong’s approach, especially given the stakes. With the league table tight and every point precious in the race for promotion, the hosts seized the moment almost from the first whistle. Zhiyun, perched in sixth and just outside the playoff berths, wasted no time imposing themselves on a Guangxi side struggling near the drop zone. By the 19th minute, Kolev had already found a pocket of space near the penalty spot, steering home a low cross with a predator’s instinct and setting the tone for the afternoon.

The goal not only electrified the home crowd but also exposed the gulf in confidence and composure between these two squads. Guangxi, coming in with just one win from their previous five outings and sitting precariously in 15th, found themselves immediately on the back foot. A mere seven minutes later, Zhiyun’s Bulgarian forward struck again. Latching onto a cleverly weighted through-ball, Kolev rode a desperate challenge before slotting a measured finish past the keeper—a sequence that was as much about ruthless technique as it was about mental sharpness.

By the half-hour mark, Nantong were purring with authority while Guangxi seemed resigned to damage control. The visitors did what they could to slow the tempo and disrupt Zhiyun’s fluid rhythm, but every promising Baoyun foray sputtered before it could trouble Nantong’s well-drilled back line. The home side, buoyed by recent dominant wins—including a 7-1 demolition of Qingdao Red Lions—continued to play with assurance, threading passes through cramped spaces and pressing relentlessly off the ball.

Guangxi, meanwhile, were seeking to banish a nightmarish run that has seen them collect just five wins from 27 league games. Their inability to sustain attacks was matched only by their struggle to contain Kolev, whose movement and physicality remained a constant threat. Yet it was Nantong’s collective discipline, not just star power, that ensured the clean sheet. The central pairing at the back repelled crosses with quiet efficiency, and the midfield controlled transitions, limiting Baoyun to speculative efforts from distance.

The match’s pivotal third goal arrived midway through the second half, effectively stamping out any lingering hope of a Guangxi revival. In the 73rd minute, Nantong finally broke through again, with a swift counterattack catching the visitors flat-footed. While the scorer’s name was lost amid the flurry—overshadowed, perhaps, by Kolev’s earlier heroics—the finish was no less clinical, as the ball was driven low past the diving keeper and into the far corner. That third strike not only underscored the hosts’ dominance but provided a timely reminder of Nantong’s growing attacking arsenal beyond their talismanic forward.

As the dying minutes ticked away, the narrative of the campaign for both sides came into sharper focus. Nantong Zhiyun’s 11th win of the season, pushing their tally to 41 points from 27 matches, keeps the heat on their rivals and ensures they remain very much in the hunt for a coveted playoff place. Their recent form—a run including three wins and two draws from the last five—signals a squad finding momentum at precisely the right moment.

Guangxi Baoyun, by contrast, find themselves consigned to a battle for survival. Their 14th defeat of the campaign leaves them marooned in 15th with just 23 points, and memories of a hard-fought draw last week at Qingdao now seem a distant consolation. With games running out, the challenge for Baoyun is now as much psychological as tactical, requiring a reset in both spirit and structure if they are to escape the relegation snare.

The fixture offered few surprises in the context of recent head-to-head encounters, as Zhiyun extended their recent supremacy against Baoyun and further justified their top-half credentials. There were no red cards to mar the contest, but for Baoyun, the pain was inflicted not by discipline but by the relentless clarity of their hosts’ attacking intent.

With the autumn shadows lengthening and the League One season reaching its decisive phase, Nantong Zhiyun have given their supporters something tangible to believe in—a team hitting stride, a striker in form, and a campaign alive with possibility. For Guangxi, the road ahead grows ever steeper. Each remaining fixture now carries the weight of a final, and escape will require resilience long after the lights have dimmed on this day in Rugao.