On August 31, at 19:30 GMT.
China Super League (soccer league)
Shanghai Shenhua and Shandong Taishan battled it out at the Jinzhou Stadium in Dalian in the 12th round of the league's bye round. In the end, Shanghai Shenhua beat Shandong Taishan 2-1, ending the latter's 9-game winning streak, and now trails leader Wuhan Sanzhen by only 1 point, casting a shadow over their prospects of winning the title.
Over the past two months, Wuhan Three Town has been undefeated, and its current 12-game winning streak is almost closing in on the longest winning streak in the Chinese Super League held by Shandong Taishan and Guangzhou. As the number one rival, Shandong Taishan has been biting the dust. Before the match with Shenhua, Shandong Taishan had won 9 consecutive matches and was considered the team with the best chance to challenge Wuhan Sanzhen for the lead, while the other teams were at least 13 points behind, making the title almost impossible.
However, Shandong Taishan, whose form has been on the decline lately, suffered a full-scale suppression in this matchup with Shenhua, a full Chinese team. Although Sun Zhunhao's long-distance shot caused an oolong for the opponent, for Shandong Taishan to take the lead, but Shenhua in the offensive end, although the lack of Basogo and Cao Yunding two sharpshooter, but still by Liu Yang for two consecutive games to give away penalties, and Liu Ruofan's rapid counterattack like no one else's territory, Shenhua in two minutes scored two consecutive goals to complete the reversal.
With this game, Shandong Taishan's 9-game winning streak comes to an end, leaving them in second place with 39 points after 16 rounds of play, 4 points adrift of the leaders Wuhan Sanzhen, who will host Wuhan Sanzhen on September 14th, in what is widely expected to be a preview of the season's title race. Before that, Shandong Taishan will have to face the challenge of Shenzhen, while Wuhan Sanzhen will play against Yatai and Cangzhou Lions. If both teams win their respective matches, Shandong Taishan will be seven points behind Wuhan Sanzhen when they meet.
Given Wuhan Sanzhen's current state of play and strength, it is extremely difficult for Shandong Taishan to win the game. If Shandong Taishan loses to Wuhan Sanzhen, the gap will be widened to 10 points, and the suspense of the championship will be completely lost. Even with a draw, the gap will still be 7 points, and with a win, the gap will be narrowed to 4 points. Shandong Taishan's recent offense has relied too much on Cressan, but he has failed to deliver in two consecutive games, and the returning Guo Tianyu can't recreate last year's style, coupled with a succession of mistakes on the defensive end, Shandong Taishan's road to defending the title this season is full of thorns.
