On February 27th, 2024, a highlight match was fiercely staged at Shanghai Hongkou Football Stadium, where Shanghai Shenhua won the Super Cup with a narrow 1-0 victory over Shanghai Seaport. Reporter Yang Yi lamented on social media that Shenhua fans, who made up the majority of the 18,561 spectators at the stadium, had an unbreakable emotional attachment to the stadium. Perhaps the best way to say goodbye to Hongkou Football Stadium is with this victory.
Dating back to December 6, 2019, Shanghai Shenhua had defeated Shandong Taishan 3-0 at the Hongkou Football Stadium, winning two consecutive finals by a combined score of 3-1, and successfully winning the AFC Cup for the third time in the team's history. However, due to the epidemic, the Chinese Super League underwent a three-year regime change. During this period, Hongkou Football Stadium, the longtime home of Shenhua, failed to host a professional league match for three consecutive years in the 2020-2022 season. It was not until the 2023 season that the Chinese Super League resumed its home-and-away match system, and Shenhua completed a shareholding reform of the club, with Jiuzhi Group taking over operations.
Last season, Shenhua achieved good results in their new home stadium of 80,000 people, but many Shenhua fans still have a deep love for Hongkou Football Stadium. Who would have thought that the CFA would choose the Hongkou Stadium as the venue for the opening match of the 2024 season. 1543 days later, Shenhua returned to their home ground and started their new journey with a win.
Although Shenhua was the nominal away team in the afternoon match on February 25th, Shenhua fans made up the majority of the 18,561 fans on the field, rekindling the once-frightening "Devil's Home Stadium" atmosphere.
As a neutral stadium for the Super Cup, Hongkou Football Stadium welcomed Shenhua again after 1543 days. For this event, the management of Hongkou Football Stadium made comprehensive preparations: upgrading the infield lighting system, fire-fighting facilities, security monitoring system, press center multimedia system, infield big screen, main sound reinforcement system, water supply and drainage pipes, electrical equipment, and hot water heater of the players' lounge. Forty-five minutes before the game, the Shanghai Football Association Vice President and Secretary General Lin Yi personally to the Hongkou Football Stadium Show Association 20 Award.
