The 21st round of the Chinese Super League climaxed on August 9, with the dust settling on four key matches under the night sky. Beijing Guoan shook hands with Tianjin Jinmen Tigers on the road, with the score set at 0:0; Wuhan Sanzhen won 4:2 at home against Henan, Dalian People's defeated Cangzhou Lions 1:2 on the road, and Shanghai Shenhua won 3:0 at home against Shenzhen.
Early in the season, Shenhua once took the lead in front of Shanghai Harbor, however, they were later overtaken and trailed by only three points at half time. But unexpectedly, Shenhua suddenly collapsed in the second half, especially in the last two weeks, when they suffered two consecutive defeats, first to Shanghai and then to the Darenians. However, last night, Shenhua returned home to face the lowest-ranked team in Shenzhen, and finally found the taste of victory. After the opening, Shenhua completely suppressed the Shenzhen team, Han Chao front field to create a succession of good opportunities, but the shot was repeatedly inaccurate. In the 27th minute, Shanghai Shenhua got a free kick opportunity from the left side of the field at a 45-degree angle, and Xu Hao Yang shot diagonally at the goal to break the deadlock.
In the first half of extra time, Shenhua once again won a free kick from the right side of the field at a 45-degree angle. This time, Malelai grabbed a chance on the left side of the penalty area and swung a header, Wu Xi adjusted his feet, turned and shot with his left foot into the net. Shenhua led 2:0 at half time. In the second half, Shenhua continued to maintain the lead, both sides failed to break through again. Until the 91st minute, Shenhua fast counterattack, Malelai Mei Kai Degree, with his 2 shots and 1 pass, to help the team 3:0 to beat the Shenzhen team, to stop the two consecutive defeats of the decadence.
This season, defending champions Wuhan Three Town have been having problems with their offensive and defensive balance. After Malcolm's return, Wuhan Three Town seeks to qualify for the Asian Championship. In the last round, they lost to Zhejiang on the road and their winning streak came to an abrupt end. Last night, Wuhan Sanzhen's home team adjusted their form in time. Only 10 minutes after the start, Stanciu took a smart shot inside the penalty area, giving his team a 1:0 lead. Then, Huang Zichang direct, Zhong Yihao broke the goal, Henan Songshan 1:1 equalized the score. But Wuhan Sanzhen then launched a fierce attack, and Malcolm's header went beyond the score again. In the 88th minute, Malcolm inserted at high speed on the left road, got a one-touch chance and broke the goal again, finally locking the win with 4:2.
In the standings, Shenhua moved up to second place again after stopping two consecutive losses to overtake Shandong Taishan and Chengdu Rongcheng. Shanghai Harbor's lead remains at 14 points. Although Shenhua has stopped the decline, it is extremely difficult to recover 14 points in 9 rounds of matches. Beijing Guoan struggled to win against Tianjin Jinmen Tigers. Wuhan Sanzhen overtook with a one-point advantage with the win and advanced to fifth place, three points behind Chengdu Rongcheng, which still has a chance to fight for the top three.
Leonardo leads the scorers' table with 15 goals, with Wu Lei close behind but just one goal shy of second place. Aziz became the fifth player to score a double this season after scoring last night, tying him with Kovic for fourth. Maleleme is in the top ten for the second time, just one goal shy of Felipe in seventh. Owusu has just squeezed into the top ten after catching up with the likes of Klassan and Fellaini.
