On the evening of August 17th, the 23rd round of the Chinese Super League ushered in a much-anticipated derby match between Shanghai Shenhua at their home stadium Hongkou Football Stadium and city rivals Shanghai Harbor in an exciting showdown. The match was not only about the ranking of the two teams in the table, but also a collision of honor and passion.
At the beginning of the first half, both sides started to fight fiercely and the pace of the game increased rapidly. Shanghai Harbour broke the deadlock in the 15th minute, when Stanley Wong leapt up from a corner kick and broke Shenhua's goal with a powerful header to give Harbour the lead. However, the good times didn't last long as Seaports defender Wei Zhen was shown a red card by the referee for a stomping action during a defensive play, and Seaports had to play with fewer players.
Facing the numerical disadvantage, the Harbour Team did not give up the resistance, and the goalkeeper Yan Junling became the hero of the team. In the 30th minute, Shenhua won the penalty kick, Luis took the penalty kick with great force, but Yan Junling saved the goal with his excellent reaction and anticipation. This save not only ignited the fighting spirit of the harbor team players, but also amazed the audience.
The match resumed at the end of the second half, and both sides continued to fight fiercely. In the 55th minute, Harbor's foreign aid Fernando broke through the field and hit the post with a powerful shot, almost helping his team to increase the score. However, Shenhua didn't get discouraged and seized the opportunity of Harbour Team's physical decline to equalize the score in the 65th minute with a goal scored by veteran Yu Hanchao. The goal not only boosted Shenhua's morale, but also gave the home fans hope for a comeback.
In the final stage of the game, Shenhua team attacked like a tide. In the 80th minute, Luiz once again stepped up to the plate, receiving a pass from his teammates in the penalty area, he calmly shot the ball into the net, Shenhua team 2-1 to overtake the score. Just five minutes later, Luis added a double to make it 3-1, and Shanghai Shenhua beat city rivals Shanghai Harbor with a resounding victory at home.
Shanghai Harbour's 16-game winning streak came to an end after this game, but they still lead the table with a 2-point advantage. Shanghai Shenhua follow in second place with 61 points.
