On Saturday night, August 19, the clock struck 19:35 and the curtain went up on the 23rd round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) 2023 - the Beijing-Shanghai match at the prestigious Workers' Stadium in Beijing. Beijing Guoan, a veteran soccer team with a long history, is hosting a fierce battle with Shanghai Shenhua, which also has a rich heritage.
The match is being simulcast live on TV by three well-known platforms: CCTV Sports Event Channel (CCTV5+), Shanghai Five Star Sports, and Beijing Radio and TV Sports and Leisure Channel. Tencent's platform also owns the rights to broadcast the Chinese Super League and is streaming it live on the web and mobile platforms, although it may require a coupon (which may be chargeable) to view it.
Since the professionalization of Chinese soccer in 1994, only three teams have consistently competed in the top leagues (including the A-League and the Chinese Super League). Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua, with the exception of Shandong Taishan, are the two teams that have consistently held a place in the league. Neither team has ever won a league title, but Shanghai Shenhua won the A-League title in 1995, only to be stripped of it in 2003. Beijing Guoan, the self-proclaimed "No. 1 Forever", won their first ever Chinese Super League title in 2009. Although the number of times they have won the title is small, whenever the two teams meet, there is no need for pre-match mobilization, which is enough to see the deep connection between the two teams.
Shanghai Shenhua has been performing well this season, winning several matches and two consecutive victories with their economical tactical strategy to finish second in the Chinese Super League standings with 41 points, but there is still an 11-point gap between them and the leader, Shanghai Harbor, with the dream of a title seemingly out of reach. Coach Wu Jingui is absent due to health issues, and there are even rumors that his return to the field is still unknown. Beijing Guoan, on the other hand, has built a strong squad ahead of schedule, but their early results have not been good. New coach Ricardo Suarez has been ineffective since taking over. After beating Nantong Zhiyun in the final round, the team is temporarily in the sixth place of the table with 25 points.
Both teams have a group of players with rich experience in the international arena. In Shanghai Shenhua's team, players such as Wu Xi, Yu Hanchao, Cao Yunding, Dai Weijun, Jiang Shenglong and Jin Yangyang have all been selected for the Chinese men's national team. Dalian veteran Yu Hanchao is even older and stronger, contributing six league goals. On Beijing Guoan's side, former national soccer captain Yu Dabao faded out of the starting lineup, while Zhang Yuning missed the game due to injury. Wang Ziming, Yang Liyu, Zhang Xunzhe, Ji Zhongguo, Wang Gang, Gao Tianyi, Zhang Chendong, Li Ke and other players are able to play normally, of which Wang Ziming and Yang Liyu contributed 7 goals and 5 goals respectively. From the point of view of the strength of domestic players, the two teams can be said to be equal.
Despite the wealth of Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua, their foreign aid performance has not met expectations, and was jokingly called "water goods" by fans. Beijing Guoan's Jiang Xiangyou scored 6 goals, De Sousa scored 4 goals, and Abreu joined soon after, scoring only 2 goals in 6 games. For Shanghai Shenhua, Bassogo, Teixeira and Amadou have a goal each, while Malele is starting to find his form and is the team's top scorer with 12 goals. In this match, the performance of both teams' foreigners may be the key to victory.
The first time these two teams met this season, they drew 1-1. So who will continue their winning streak in this rematch between Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua? The suspense will be revealed soon.
