Controversial analysis of Shandong Taishan's AFC Champions League last eight match
In the second round of the AFC Champions League, Shandong Taishan lost 0-1 to Yokohama Marinos on the road. On the surface, the loss of a goal may be acceptable, however, in the second half of the 30 minutes, the team with 11 people against 10 people, but no attacking attitude, and even failed to play the numerical advantage, this kind of abnormal performance is puzzling. What's more regrettable is that the appearance of substitute players led to a fatal mistake, Wu Xinghan's misplaced position allowed Lopez to strike a fatal blow, which was also the only goal of the match, and Wu Xinghan was thus under tremendous pressure.
Choi Kang-hee's substitution decision was clearly wrong. Does he not know the level of Wu Xinghan? He was loaned out last season due to the cheating scandal, only to make a miraculous return this season. After his return to the team, he not only played into the AFC Champions League quarterfinals of such a key game, but also sparked speculation about his background: what exactly is Wu Xinghan's background? Cheating, suspected of gambling, but can return to the Taishan team, the club's management has become a laughing stock.
After the game, numerous fans flooded Wu Xinghan's social media to troll him. However, a crying misunderstanding occurred, the object of the scolding was not Wu Xinghan himself, but an impostor. After the cheating incident, Wu Xinghan's social media update frequency decreased significantly, but it is difficult to hide the anger in the hearts of fans. Obviously, Wu Xinghan became the first "sinner" of Shandong Taishan's loss.
In fact, Shandong Taishan's loss is understandable. After all, the previous three matches have been lost, the strength gap is obvious. This time to kill into the AFC Champions League eight, with the team's best record in history on a par. However, can this achievement cover up the problems of the team? Wu Xinghan is a controversial figure in his own right, so why was he able to rejoin the club and be reused by Choi Kang-hee in the AFC Champions League? This result is baffling.
Shandong Taishan used to be the pride of Chinese soccer before the three consecutive FA Cup titles and the Chinese Super League championship. However, the arrests of Hao Wei, Guo Tianyu, Jin Jingdao and foreign aid Sun Junhao exposed serious management problems at the club. Despite Wu Xinghan's return to the team, the club's management problems have yet to be solved. After winning the Chinese Super League, the club has struggled to make a mark in the AFC Champions League. The club only managed to make it to the top eight of the AFC Champions League, which seems to be just self-indulgence.
Since Guangzhou Evergrande broke into the AFC Champions League quarterfinals in 2019, no other team in the Chinese Super League has been able to achieve this feat. There is a huge gap between Shandong Taishan and Guangzhou Evergrande, and with two AFC Champions League trophies right there, it is almost impossible for any other team in the Chinese Super League to achieve such an honor. With Shanghai SIPG, Beijing Guoan and Taishan at the moment, I don't know how much longer it will be before they can realize this glory. Even if they can't win the title, at least making it to the quarterfinals is a worthy goal. However, it is undoubtedly the sadness of Chinese soccer that they failed to even pass the qualifying round last season.
