Late in the evening of June 16th, a highly anticipated matchup took place between Shandong Taishan and Changchun Yatai. Taishan won 4-0.
Changchun Yatai (soccer team)
The team not only ushered in its first two consecutive victories of the new season, but also brought its rival, Yatai, its first defeat since the beginning of the season. Despite gaining three valuable points, all four of Taishan's goals were based on mistakes by the Yatai backline, leaving room for improvement in the team's handling of details.
In the focus of the game, Yatai repeatedly generous gifts, goalkeeper Liu Weiguo two errors were replaced by the field
In this matchup, the identities of both sides are quite distinct - Taishan as the defending champions, and Yatai as the dark horse in the league last season, ranking fourth. Therefore, this match naturally became the focus of this round. Both teams have failed to live up to expectations in the start of the new season, with Taishan falling far short of the title, while Yatai, although undefeated in the first three rounds, have only beaten the weaker Guangzhou City.
Probably due to the great psychological pressure brought by the focus of the game, Yatai players gave Taishan a "big gift" more than once in the game. Among them, goalkeeper Liu Weiguo was replaced by the coach after making a super low-level mistake in the first and second halves. The 30-year-old goalkeeper from
Luneng (city in Shandong)
youth training system, but has not been able to gain enrollment in the first team, having traveled as far as Guangzhou in his early years
Evergrande (name)
After the big win, Taishan team also relied on their own efforts, Yatai mistakes are frequent
Yatai's mistakes were not limited to Liu Weiguo alone. At the beginning of the second half, Okere missed a pass in the home penalty area and was successfully broken up by Sun Junho. Jin Jingdao got the ball and burst into the penalty area, and Okere's backpedaling action led to Jin Jingdao being tripped. Initially, referee Li Haixin awarded a penalty kick, but it was canceled after video replay. However, just seven minutes later, Okere was a little slow in defending the ball in the box, giving Kim a chance to score. Finally, Moises' goal was also based on a clearance error by Yatai player Liao Chengjian.
Although all four goals were based on mistakes made by the opponents, especially the two mistakes made by goalkeeper Liu Weiguo, these mistakes were also related to the constant pressure that Taishan put on their opponents. Liu Weiguo's first mistake stemmed from Taishan's high press, forcing the Yatai defenders to feel the pressure when passing the ball, resulting in Han Pengfei having to pass back to the keeper near the sideline, which in turn resulted in a turnover. The second goal was scored by Jin Jingdao. For the last goal, Sun Junhao's key interception was instrumental. Therefore, this victory is also the result of Taishan players' hard work.
Three points and first win of the season welcome, but Taishan still needs to make adjustments on the offensive side of the ball
Taishan laughed off the three points in this game and also had their first consecutive win of the new season. Head coach Hao Wei was able to relax on the sidelines and drink water on the bench shed, in stark contrast to the previous games. However, despite the big win and the winning streak, Taishan still has a lot of areas to improve on, especially on the offensive end. Cressan has never been able to integrate into the team's attacking system, and his on-field performance is more like that of a winger than a player who excels at staking his claim in front of the goal and competing for headers.
It was only after Fellaini came on as a substitute in the second half that Taishan's offense gradually found its rhythm. After getting used to Pelé as the high point, Taishan lacked pivots and high points in front of the field, and the offense seemed stagnant. This is a problem that the team needs to solve urgently. After all, you can't always expect your opponents to give away gifts like the Yatai backline did in this game. Only when the team's own offense is smooth, the goals will come. (Yang Xixi)
