In the 22nd round of the Chinese Super League (CSL), Henan Navigation Stadium witnessed a thrilling penalty shootout on August 13th. Kovic broke the enemy with a penalty kick in less than a minute after the start, and finally Henan narrowly beat Tianjin Jinmen Tiger by 1:0, and gained a key win on the road to relegation.
In August, Henan suffered back-to-back defeats, while Jinmen Tigers were undefeated for seven rounds, and this game was crucial for both sides. Henan's head coach Sarko decided to use the attacking combination of Kovic, Berto and Denic. In the 32nd second of the game, Denic and Berto cooperation, nearly caused a penalty kick, and finally Kovic in the referee's decision of the left foot shot to break the goal, to 1:0 lead. However, then the game into a stalemate, at the end of the half, Henan team to 10:0 lead, but did not easy.
In the second leg of the match, Jinmen Tigers adjusted their lineup to strengthen their offense, while Henan relied on counterattacks to maintain their threat. In the 54th minute, Berto's pass from the left side of the road, his teammates scored in front of the goal. Dilimurati missed a good opportunity to expand the score, the Jinmen Tigers then launched an onslaught, Henan relied on tenacious defense to resolve the crisis. In the 68th minute, Xie Weijun nearly broke the deadlock after receiving a pass from Beric, but Henan goalkeeper Wang Guo bravely pounced on the ball. In the 78th minute, Rosach hit the post and missed the chance to score.
Sarko was relieved after the hard-fought win. He said, "Our performance deserved the win and the players gave their all under pressure. Congratulations to our players who were determined to win from the start. The creation of the penalty was also the result of our bold attack, while holding off the opposition's counter-attacks. The win was a result of the joint efforts of the players and the fans. The encouragement of the fans gave us the determination to win. The next game is crucial for us and we need to prepare seriously."
On August 19th, Henan will face Dalian People, a "six-point battle" for relegation is about to start.
