Faced with the plight of half of the main players missing, coach Kosa was worried. The front two stars are playing with injuries, but it is hard to hide the pain of the team.
The semi-finals were in full swing, with Dalian Shide winning a thrilling extra time match, while Japanese team Shimizu came back to win 3-2. In the match, AFC sent West Asian referees to enforce the law and paid special attention to Dalian Shide. Young player Zou Jie was red-carded and suspended for one match due to the referee's controversial decision.
On the eve of the final, Dalian Shide only had 14 players left to play. Coach Kosa struggled to put out the starting lineup, with only Xu Hong, Zou Peng and An Qi remaining on the bench. Among them, An Qi is ready to play as a non-goalkeeper.
No. 22 goalkeeper Chen Dong guarded the goal, and the back line consisted of Wang Sheng, Ji Mingyi, Andersen, Liu Yujian, Wang Peng, Zhang Yalin, Yan Song, Hu Zhaojun and Orlando. No. 19 Zou Peng came on as a substitute for Hu Zhaojun in the 87th minute.
It is worth mentioning that in this game, Dalian Shide has 9 U23 players out of 12 players, who are in dire need of CFA's policy support. Among them, Chen Dong and Wang Peng are 23 years old, Ji Mingyi and Liu Yujian are 21 years old, Hu Zhaojun, Yan Song, Zhang Yalin and Wang Sheng are 20 years old, and Zou Peng is only 19 years old.
In the first 20 minutes of the game, both sides were attacking and defending each other, and Dalian Shide was stalemated with the opponent in the cheering of more than 20,000 fans. However, as the game progressed, the home team gradually showed their physical strength and attacked amidst the cheers of the home fans. Dalian's young defense was under tremendous pressure. However, the referee helped the opponents to break the deadlock at a crucial moment. In the 24th minute, the referee decided to award a penalty kick after the opposing player exaggerated. Although Chen Dong judged correctly, the ball still went through the net.
The first half started with both sides exchanging attacks and defenses in the first 20 minutes, with Al Shabab holding a certain advantage amidst the cheering of the home fans. The hosts then intensified their attack, impacting the taciturnity of Dalian Shide's young defense. In the 24th minute, a home player broke into the penalty area from the right and fell to the ground after making contact with attacking goalkeeper Chen Dong. The referee awarded a penalty kick despite the opponent's suspected fake fall. The No.12 player of the home team shot the penalty kick into the upper right corner, and Dalian Shide fell behind 0-1 on the road. The home team was so demoralized that after Dalian Shide kicked off from the center circle, the home team broke the ball quickly.
Dalian Shide quickly launched a counterattack! In the 28th minute, a Dalian player broke through on the right, and Yan Song, known as "Yan Million", scored a header at the back of the net to equalize the score to 1-2.
Only three minutes into the second half, Dalian Shide was still two goals behind, and the whole team was seriously lacking in physical strength. In the 73rd minute, the opponent scored again, and Dalian Shide was 1-4 behind. In the last minute of full-time extra time, Dalian Shide frantically attacked, but in the end there was no way back to heaven, and finally lost 2-4.
Time has passed and those players who have fought for Dalian have retired.
The latest news on the Brazilian wideout has not yet been announced.
The current general manager and first-team leader of Dalian Zhixing Football Club, Chen Dong, Hu Zhaojun and Zou Peng, all work for the club.
Liu Yujian serves as an assistant coach for Wuxi Wuhu, a team in the Central League.
Ji Mingyi and Wang Sheng in Chongqing and Yan Song in Shenzhen, both engaged in youth soccer training.
Wang Peng established the Moonbird Football Club in his hometown of Dalian, focusing on youth training.
Sadly, on February 14, 2010, Zhang Yalin passed away at an early age.
