Choi Kang-hee turns a bad day into a good day for Shandong Taishan as they win away to Incheon United
On October 25, Shandong Taishan swept Incheon United by a score of 20-0 on the road to win three valuable points. As if by magic, head coach Choi Kang-hee pulled the injured Taishan back from the doldrums and stabilized the team's qualification for promotion. In addition, the victory also added confidence to Taesan's next round match against Seaport.
Defying injuries, Choi Kang-hee transforms a bad situation into a miraculous one
Facing the rule that five foreigners can play at the same time in the AFC Champions League, Taishan only had four foreigners available, namely Fellaini, Kressan, Moises and Jadson, of which Fellaini and Kressan also had different degrees of injuries. Under such circumstances, Korean coach Choi Kang-hee skillfully adjusted his tactics by hiding Kressan in the first half and going all out on defense. Despite Kichijo's injury within the opening 10 minutes, Taishan held on to their defense and created a lot of threats through counterattacks.
In the second half, Kressan came on as a substitute and was supported by Liu Binbin, who had a strong impact on the side. In the 56th minute, Kressan scored a world wave goal from outside the penalty area to seal the win for Taesan. After losing the ball, Incheon United went on a frantic attack, but Taesan quickly regained the initiative on the field. In the 87th minute, Fellaini took a pass from Kressan and fired a low shot to completely kill the game.
Choi Kang-hee's hiring strategy not only stems from his deep understanding of the Taesan team, but also from his insight into Korean soccer. Facing a strong Incheon United team, Choi Kang-hee played hard to get the victory by reasonably controlling the timing of the foreigners and wingers, as well as the high level of competition in the second half.
All Super League teams win this round to earn face
The night of the 25th was full of rewards for the Chinese Super League teams. Zhejiang beat the Japanese team Kofu Kazuhayashi with 22 points. Wuhan Sanzhen beat Hanoi 2-0 in the other game, and all three Chinese Super League teams won this round. 12 years later, Zhejiang won the AFC Champions League again, but the team is still at the bottom of the group, and the situation for promotion is not optimistic. Wuhan Sanzhen, on the other hand, won their first AFC Champions League match and finished second in the group with four points.
Taishan's victory in this round of matches is more valuable. Facing weaker Kofu Falebayashi and Hanoi, Taishan got 3 points to not only turn the situation around, but also tie Incheon United and Yokohama Mariners with 6 points, temporarily topping the group standings. With the first half of the group stage now over, Taishan will have a more favorable home game in the second half.
All three of these teams have won, which has greatly benefited the Premier League. In recent years, the Chinese Super League has performed poorly in the AFC Champions League, resulting in a drop in the league's AFC points. Now that the league as a whole is doing well, the Chinese Super League teams need to work hard for every win to improve their position in the AFC Champions League.
The suspense is not yet over and the next round of highlights is more comfortable
Taishan will travel to Shanghai to challenge Shanghai Harbor on the 29th, the last of three consecutive cross-country matches in ten days. Currently, Harbor is in first place in the league with 59 points, five points higher than Taishan. Even if Taishan cannot take the initiative to win the title after defeating their rivals, they can still keep the suspense of the Super League title belonging to the end.
Instead of focusing all their energy on the marquee match, Taishan showed the strength and fighting spirit of the Chinese Super League team in the AFC Champions League. After this game, Taishan team can face the harbor more calmly. This calmness does not come from the so-called effort, but from the players' hard work in the game.
Fellaini posted a photo of a protective mask being made, but it didn't end up being used. This also means that his recovery from the injury has been much better than expected. Cressan's form was also unaffected by the tongue injury, as he contributed a goal and an assist in the game. Both injured players recovered more than expected to be winners for the T&T.
Young player Xie Wen was not shy in the AFC Champions League and Fernando eventually came on as a substitute to create a threat, giving confidence in Taishan's form for the next round.
