However, an attacking misadventure from Liang Shaowen allowed Cangzhou players to poach the ball away, which led to a quick counter that saw Guoan concede its first in the season 43 minutes into the game.

Trading sides, Guoan created a great chance just 20 seconds after the break with Gao Tianyi testing the opposition keeper with a close range slice in the box.

Guoan took the lead with Jin Pengxiang scoring in the 11th minute after firing a shot from outside the box as the opposition struggled to clear Adegbenro's attempt after a free kick chaos.

[16] Another controversy from the game emerged as the referee Li Zheng blew the final whistle only 3 minutes into the 5-minute added time and had to call the team back after the players began walking off the field.

[18] Despite the victory, long-time sportswriter Zhao Yu warned against optimism, stating that the win was very difficult and that the team lack midfield presence when attacking.

Despite the setback, Guoan scored again in the 20th minute; it was again Zhang Yuning who tapped into the net a cross after a nice series of moves in the penalty area by youngster Liu Guobo.

Shenzhen pulled one back through a direct free kick, but Wang Ziming helped Guoan seal the game by finishing off a rebound from a Memišević shot in the 88th minute.

Zhang Yuning also rose to the top of the golden boot race with 5 goals after 5 matchdays with the media hailing him as the "best Chinese center forward" at the moment.

[24] On 24 June, the club announced midfielder Li Ke has temporarily left the team to return to London and receive his third surgery in the past 18 months to address the popliteal artery entrapment syndrome his legs are suffering from.

A controversy arose in the 34th minute as the ball hit one of Cangzhou's defenders in the box from a Guoan corner, but the referee refused to give the penalty kick after VAR review.

Zhang Yuning headed a Piao Cheng free kick into the net in the second minute of the game, but the goal was overruled as offside and disallowed after VAR review.

Tianjin pulled a goal back in the 76th minute with a shot from outside the box, but Guoan was able to maintain its lead to the end, winning the match 1–2 and remain in 5th place.

Wang Gang took the lead for Guoan in the 28th minute after he produced a spectacular finish from outside the box after Kang Sang-woo knocked back from the left flank a Memišević long ball.

Manager Xie Feng's substitution later in the game failed to generate the desired effect, and Guoan conceded again through a corner situation in the 85th minute.

Despite the loss, Guoan maintains its 5th place in the league table ahead of Shanghai Port and Shenzhen heading into the next phase thanks to its higher goal difference.

[36] Guoan played its first game in front an audience since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic on 7 August in an away match against Henan Songshan Longmen with over 6,000 fans inside the Hanghai Stadium.

Soon after Memišević hit the post, Guoan conceded its first goal of the game in the 8th minute as the ball slipped under Hou Sen's legs from a Henan corner.

New acting manager Sui Dongliang dropped Chang Zhengdong and Hou Sen from the lineup and reinstated Kang Sang-woo as well as Zou Dehai.

In the 62nd minute, Guoan went 2–0 up after Kang Sang-woo latched on to Zhang Yuning's cross-field pass from a counterattack and slotted the ball past Wuhan Yangtze's keeper, scoring his first goal for the club.

Although Guoan conceded in the 18th minute from a set piece, the team rallied and pulled one back in the 25th when Wang Gang's crossed skipped past Dabro and was finished off by Zhang Yuning.

Late in the second half in the 81st minute, Zhang Yuning took the lead for Guoan as he finished off a Memišević rebound, but Dalian immediately equalized.

Later in the game, Zou Dehai sustained an injury and was replaced by Hou Sen. Zhang Yuning and Adegbenro hit the post in succession, but neither teams were able to score.

The onslaught continued with Memišević finishing off a Zhang Xizhe corner with a header, and Adegbenro doubled his tally for the day from a chaotic set piece situation.

After a heated first half, Guoan conceded after Hou Sen slipped in the area and then failed to gain control of the ball, resulting in an easy tap-in for Three Towns.

Memišević sent in a long cross from right midfield that skipped between two Wuhan defenders to land right in front of Adegbenro, who calmly put the ball past the keeper to tie the game up in the 55th minute.

[57] Zhang Yuning added to Guoan's tally in the 76th minute with a powerful strike just on the edge of the box after Gao Tianyi set him up with a short touch.

Forced to rotate the squad due to injuries, suspensions and loan prohibition, Menzo named youngster Ruan Qilong to the starting lineup.

Liu Huan doubled Guoan's advantage in the 42nd minute with a ranged strike that dipped just as it reached the Hebei keeper and forced erroneous save.

In the second half after a Zhang Xizhe corner was knocked outside the penalty area in the 55th minute, Ruan Qilong latched onto the ball with another powerful ranged strike, putting Guoan 3–0 ahead.

Final goal in the game came in the 68th minute as Pan Ximing from Hebei headed the ball into the team's own net as he attempted to clear a Zhang Xizhe cross.