In the fierce battle, Shandong Taishan launched a sharp counterattack in the 75th minute. Liao Lixiang passed the ball accurately, and Kazayishvili showed his explosive power inside the penalty area, and shot the ball from the near corner, which made Shandong successfully overtake the score. However, in the 88th minute, Liao Lixiang and Kazayishvili once again played an exquisite combination, and Kazayishvili skillfully picked the ball to cross the goal line for the third time, and Shandong Taishan held the initiative of promotion firmly in their hands with a score of 3-1.
Shanghai Shenhua also took the field immediately afterward, showing an excellent performance not inferior to that of Shandong Taishan. In the first half of their home match against South Korea's Pohang Ironmen, both sides went back and forth but failed to score. At the beginning of the second half, Pohang Ironman broke the deadlock first, and Jorge scored with a low shot, making the score 1-0! But then, the game was tilted completely in Shanghai Shenhua's favor.
In the 64th minute, Fernando sent a precise cross in the bottom line, Luis in the middle of the road jumped up to head the goal, the score 1-1 equalizer! 7 minutes later, Shenhua rolled back, a similar offensive reappearance, Yang Zexiang was a clever pass replacement, Malelai header, the score instantly reversed to 2-1! 79th minute, Shenhua used the opportunity of a set piece to create a handball foul inside the Pohang Ironman penalty area, the penalty kick of Malelai! The penalty kick was taken by Malelai, extending the difference to two goals. At the end of the game, substitute Gao Tianyi added another goal, and the final score was set at 4-1! Shanghai Shenhua once again dominated the AFC Champions League at home after 15 years with a 4-1 victory.
The victories of Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua were like a shot in the arm, injecting new vitality into the downturn of Chinese soccer. Their outstanding performances are strong evidence that Chinese soccer is not hopeless and that our clubs' competitiveness in the Asian arena is still not to be underestimated!
