It took only eight minutes for Shenhua to take a two-goal lead and set the stage for this match. Shenhua made it two wins in a row with a 3-1 victory against Tianjin Jinmen Tigers in today's 4:30 p.m. Chinese Super League match.
In this game, Shenhua made small adjustments to the lineup. Kim Shin-wook and Basogo, who were substitutes in the last round, started the match, partnering with Adrian and Jonic to form a four-foreigner lineup, with Zhang Lu replacing Wen Jiabao at left back.
In the third minute of the opening match, Wu Xi skillfully lifted the ball to the center of the penalty area, and Adrian grabbed the ball before Jin Jiayun, jumped up high and scored a header to give Shenhua a 1:0 lead.
Five minutes later, Shenhua added another goal. After a cross from the right by Basogo, Kim Shin-wook shot directly into the penalty area to extend the score to 2:0. After the injury last year, Kim Shin-wook's form has been poor, and this goal undoubtedly boosted his confidence and helped him to find his best form. After the game, Kim Shin-wook said, "This game is our first game at this stage, and there are many places that need to be integrated, and this game was played according to the requirements of the head coach. I came back from the national team after more than two weeks of isolation and my physical condition is recovering a little bit."
In addition to these two goals, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers also had a suspected handball. In the 6th minute, Basogo took the ball from the right road, quickly cut in to get rid of Kadar and then shot the ball, Li Songyi originally had his arms naturally down, but he suddenly opened his arms and the ball hit him on the arm. After the VAR prompted, the referee watched the video replay and did not award a penalty kick.
Shenhua, who were leading by two goals, had a goal equalized by Tianjin Jinmen Tigers with a world wave. However, in injury time, Shenhua sealed the win through a set piece. Cao Yunding punished the free kick on the left side of the field, Yu Hanchao in front of the goal did not touch the ball, but the goalkeeper Teng Shangkun was thus disturbed and failed to pounce on the ball, Shenhua fixed the score at 3:1.
With consecutive victories over Dalian Ren and Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, Shenhua reached 14 points, laying a good foundation for entering the title contention group. However, the beauty of the game was that youngster Wen Jiabao received two yellow cards and was sent off with a red card.
Judging from head coach Choi Kang-hee's lineup, it is likely that the reason for giving Wen Jiabao a rest in this game, and not sending him on until the 69th minute, is to give him a heavy responsibility for the next round of the match against Guoan. However, he is suspended for the next round of matches, Choi Kang-hee's original rotation plan may therefore be disrupted. Wen Jiabao's suspension also affects the organization of the center backs. If Wen Jiabao plays in the next round of games, Zhu Chenjie, who has already played two consecutive full games, may be rested, which may now force Zhu Chenjie to play back-to-back games, which is not a small test for him, who has just returned from injury. Shenhua will face Beijing Guoan on July 25 at 20:30 p.m. at the Jiangyin Sports Center.
