The night of Sept. 20, BST, when the
Shanghai harbor
With one man short, the team defeated Henan Songshan Longmen 2-1 on the road thanks to a stunning save from goalkeeper Yan Junling. In a matchup full of drama, the rejoined team of
Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
and new signing Vargas both had good performances, bringing new energy to the Harbor's offensive end despite failing to score.
In the 25th minute, Seaport broke the deadlock with a header from Lv Wenjun, which was easily scored by Jiang Guangtai to give them a 1-0 lead over Henan. Then, in the 41st minute, Seaport added another goal, Paulinho's precise cross was refracted into the net by Cai Huikang, making the score 2-0. However, in the 56th minute, Henan was awarded a penalty kick, Yan Junling managed to pounce on Zhong Yihao's shot. In the 71st minute, Zhang Huachen fouled Huang Zichang and was sent off with a red card for turning two yellows into one, which became the turning point of the game as Henan started to launch a fierce attack on the harbor's backline.
The most talked about player in the game is undoubtedly the returning
Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
.. Since November 11, 2018, his last appearance in the Chinese Super League was for Shanghai Hong Kong against Tianjin
Guojian (name)
After 1409 days, Wu Lei finally stood on the field of the harbor again.
Talking about how it feels to be back.
Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
Said: "Nothing special, still the same as before, nothing has changed. Indeed before a long time no training, and the team practiced for nearly two weeks, the body and the rhythm of the game is still in the process of adjustment, will slowly recover, I believe that with the passage of time, the physical condition will be better and better."
At the most critical stage of the game, the harbor was playing with ten men.
Wu Lei (1979-), Chinese footballer
Also said, "It's not easy indeed, the field is more passive after one less man, but no matter what, getting three points is the most important thing. The whole team is very cohesive, and it's not easy to hold on in times of trouble."
However, the return of Wu Lei did bring changes to the harbour and manager Leko adjusted his lineup to finally officially play a four-back formation, "We definitely started from the existing situation to create the most favorable situation. In fact, whether it's a double or a triple center back, we have already used the four backs formation in the previous four or five matches, and our goal is to maximize the team's benefits." Leko said this after the match.
For Lecco, he was very happy with the result, especially with the goal scored by veteran Cai Huikang, which showed him the improvement of the harbour's mental state, "For Cai Huikang, he has been like this since the first day I came to the club, always putting the club's interests first. Whether he plays or doesn't play, he stays optimistic, he is a role model for our young players and what a professional player should be. He never gives up and as long as he doesn't give up, opportunities will come because you never know what will happen tomorrow." Leko praised Cai Huikang.
