Given that the new players such as Jadson and Moises joined the team not long ago, as well as the integration of Delgado and Sun Junhao, they were hardly able to adjust their best competitive state in the first half of the game. However, Hao Wei's substitution adjustment in the second half not only helped the team to score two goals and finally beat Wuhan, but also let the foreign aiders gradually find the competitive feeling, and Tian Xin even scored consecutively to carry the team's offensive beam. Three games in the AFC Cup, Taishan team with 6 goals scored, zero goals conceded, even if the use of a number of substitute players, still solid control of the pace of the game, under the leadership of Coach Hao Wei, the team's status is increasingly improved, whether it is the Cup or the league, the outlook is very optimistic.
Faced with Wuhan's foreign aid unable to return to the team, coach Li Xiaopeng could only play with a full Chinese squad. Although Luneng had five foreigners on standby, Fellaini failed to make the starting lineup due to a calf strain, while the other four started. Jadason and Zheng Zheng partnered at center back, Song Long on the left and Wang Tong on the right. Luneng's defense has been quite stable in the F.A.C. Cup. Facing their first Chinese Super League opponent, Coach Hao Wei pushed Moises and Delgado to the front line to strengthen the offense. In the center of the field, Ji Xiang played as a back and partnered with Sun Junhao, Liu Yang continued to start on the left side, and Tian Xin guarded the right side.
Facing Taishan team with four foreign aiders, Coach Li Xiaopeng did not choose to be conservative, but to strive for a balanced attack and defense. In front of the Taishan team's solid defense, despite Huang Zichang's eye-catching performance, but did not pose a substantial threat to Han Rongze. On the premise of a solid defense, the biggest problem facing the Taishan team is to solve the offensive problem. Perhaps due to his recent return, Moises did not perform well in the first 45 minutes, and his cooperation with Delgado was rusty. Delgado also looked uncomfortable in the center position, both in ball control and stopping the ball, and made mistakes under the blocking of the defenders. Although Taishan played well on both sides of the field, the crosses failed to reach the penalty area, and Delgado and Moises, who had poor positional sense, failed to compete for effective landing spots.
In the second half, Hao Wei made the first adjustment, Duan Liuyu replaced Liu Yang. Delgado came to the left side of the midfield, Duan Liuyu was on the right side, and Tian Xin was on the front line. This adjustment has an immediate effect, Moises chest stops the ball after a powerful shot hit the crossbar, Tian Xin small angle shot hit the post. The goal came soon after, assisted by Delgado, who was adjusted to the side, he received Song Long's over the top ball, and easily crossed the ball from the bottom line, Tian Xin's header broke the deadlock. Ten minutes later, another Delgado free kick from the left side, Moises side shot was blocked by the goalkeeper, Song Long added another shot to lock the win for Taishan.
In fact, in the first half of the Taishan team only the back line performance is okay, in addition to Delgado and Moises kicking awkward, Sun Jun Hao's play can only be considered average, he punished the first point of the three corners are controlled by the goalkeeper, the pass and receive the ball also repeated errors. With the team's adjustments in the second half, both the foreign aid and Tian Xin and Duan Liuyu, gradually find their way back to the state. Delgado an assist, a curated attack, Moises hit the goalpost and then indirectly assisted, Tian Xin in Guo Tianyu failed to return to the team in the case of consecutive goals, carrying the Taishan team's offensive flag. In addition, substitute players such as Chengyuan, Dailin and Chen Zhechao also got the chance to play, among which Chengyuan also scored in the last game, reflecting the team's deep bench depth. Through three AFC Cup matches, Taishan gradually adapted to the competition without international players and allowed the foreigners to perform better and better.
With the current negative news coming out of many teams in the Chinese Super League, Taishan's foreigners and bench depth are definitely the envy of other teams. Under the leadership of Coach Hao Wei, the team is quickly bonding and getting out of shape. With a two-goal win over Wuhan in the first round, Taishan has one foot in the semifinals. If the team advances to the semifinals, it will face the winner of Henan and Sichuan, which are both average teams, and will have a great hope of reaching the final. With the points lead in the league's championship group, Taishan is expected to have a fruitful year this season.
