Liao Lixiang came on as a substitute and he finally reflected his skill set with two perfect assists from his brother. Kaza scored two goals in a row and their two connections helped the team win 3.:1. Liao Lisheng and Bi Jinhao have been questioned and even full of controversy since they arrived in Shandong these past few seasons because of their relatively average performances. This game really relied on these two players to help Shandong Taishan win their first AFC Champions League victory of the season. Last season Shandong Taishan was the regret of stopping in the last eight. Hopefully, it will go farther this year.
Shanghai Shenhua was slow to get into the game. They couldn't get off the mark in the first half against Pohang Ironmen, who have been in very poor form lately. Pohang Ironmen have now lost six consecutive league matches and haven't won a single one in the last two months or so. Unexpectedly, Shenhua not only failed to score in the first half, but also got an advanced goal in the second half. However, it was this goal that completely rattled Shanghai Shenhua.
Slusky Sibanca made a decisive change in formation and Shenhua adopted aggressive and even risky tactics with great success. Pohang's ironman defense simply could not withstand Shanghai Shenhua's bombardment. In the last 40 minutes, Shenhua scored 4 goals, averaging 1 goal every 10 minutes, and finally scored 4 goals. :1 to South Korea's powerhouse Pohang Ironmen. Let's hope that Shanghai Harbor, who show up tomorrow, will also have a great performance.
