In the final game of the second round of the Chinese Super League, Dalian experienced from great joy to great sorrow in the 94th and 96th minutes. Xie Hui certainly regretted releasing two men, but Shandong Taishan found a treasure without realizing it!
Dalian started the new season well by getting promoted to Manantong Jiyun with 2-1 in the first round. The second match was against Changchun Yatai, who had a poor 2022 season. In the sixth minute of the match, Wang Jinxian, who was highly questionable last season, cut inside from the left and then passed accurately to find Sergio in the penalty area. The latter scuffed a header to break Wu Wei's keeper.
At the end of the first half, Changchun Yatai led by one goal. In the second half, it wasn't until the 72nd minute of the game that Dalian equalized on a set piece from outside the box. Newcomer Tesonev equalized for Dalianites. He opted for a direct attack. He saw the ball go over the wall and straight to the goal. Wu Yako stretched his arms and failed to touch the ball.
Eight minutes later, Changchun Yatai's Liao Chengjian entered the box, received a pass from a teammate, shook off a defender, and fired a low shot into the net. Coach Chen Yang saw this and his face was happy. In the fourth minute of extra time, Lin Liangming received a sideline ball and header ferry from a teammate in the box. Wu Wei took the ball out and Mamba equalized the score with his head. Xie Hui was also happy to celebrate with everyone.
I thought the whole game would end 2-2. Unexpectedly, in the last minute of the game, Cui Lin stepped forward to receive the ball and sent it into the box with his feet. Liao Chengjian, who scored the second goal for Changchun Yatai, jumped up high and scored a header to complete the victory over Dalian. Xie Hui, who was celebrating wildly just now, couldn't smile anymore. He regretted letting go of Sun Guowen and Tong Lei.
Dalian's defense was very vulnerable after releasing Sun Guowen and Tong Lei, and the three times they crossed the goal in this game was a good validation of that. Although Sun Guowen was known by fans as a helpless adobe before Xie Hui coached the Dalianites, he was reborn after Xie Hui's arrival and became the centerpiece of Dalian's midfield and backfield. Tong Lei is also an excellent player and is even seen by fans as the main option for international defense.
However, both chose to join Shandong Taishan in the offseason and would contribute to Shandong Taishan winning championships in the upcoming season. Unfortunately, Shandong Taishan found the treasure, but did not know, and did not make Sun Guowen and Tong Lei the main force of the defense. Especially after Hao Wei left temporarily, assistant coach Fabio didn't like Sun Guowen and Tong Lei and preferred veterans like Zheng Zheng and Song Long to give them a chance.
Zheng Zheng and Song Long are both getting old and can't give much help to the team in both offense and defense. That's why Shandong Taishan was promoted to Manantong in this round.
