Easily fighting again, Shandong Taishan made a sharp counterattack in the 75th minute when Liao Lixiang scored to Kazayishvili, who exploded into the box at the near post to help Shandong go over the top again. The excitement didn't end there, however, as in the 88th minute, Liao Lixiang and Kazayishvili worked together silently once again. This time, Kaza sent the ball into the Central Coast Mariners' goal for the third time with a deft pick. In the end, Shandong Taishan defeated Central Coast Mariners 3-1, taking the initiative of promotion into their own hands.
Shanghai Shenhua, who took the field immediately after, performed equally well. Hosting South Korean powerhouse Pohang Ironmen, both sides went on the offensive in the first half, but neither side was able to score. At the start of the second half, Pohang Ironmen went on the offensive, with Wakhe receiving a pass from a teammate and scoring with a low shot to make the score 1-0! However, the rest of the game was completely controlled by Shanghai Shenhua. In the 64th minute, Fernando sent in a cross from the baseline, and Luis in the middle of the field jumped up high and scored a header to equalize the score to 1-1!
Seven minutes later, Shenhua made a comeback with almost the same attacking set piece. This time, Yang Zexiang was replaced by a cross and Malelai was broken by a header to instantly turn the score to 2-1! In the 79th minute, Shenhua utilized another set piece to create a handball foul in the opponent's box. After reviewing the video, the referee gave the home team a penalty kick. As the second goal of the match was on the line, Malelai took the penalty to extend the difference between the two teams to two goals. In the last minute of the game, substitute Gao Tianyi scored another icing on the cake to make the score 4-1! Shanghai Shenhua beat Pohang Ironmen 4-1, winning at home in the AFC Champions League again after 15 years.
The victories of Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua injected a touch of vitality into Chinese soccer, which is in the doldrums. Their performances also proved that Chinese soccer is not without achievements and our clubs are still competitive in Asia!
