Shanghai Seaport defeated fourth-ranked Henan Songshan Longmen with a thrilling 2-1 away win in a dramatic Chinese Super League Round of 16 bye. National goalkeeper Yan Junling played bravely in this match, successfully pouncing on the opponent's penalty kick, contributing 6 brilliant saves in the whole match, helping Seaport to escape from a disaster and win this crucial victory.
In the 54th minute of the game, Jiang Guangtai fouled Huang Zichang in the penalty area, and Henan Songshan Dragons were given a good opportunity to take a penalty kick. This was undoubtedly a great opportunity for Henan, who were trailing 0-2 at the time, to turn the situation around. However, Zhong Yihao's penalty kick was valiantly parried by Yan Junling, dashing Henan's hopes instantly.
Into the 72nd minute, Zhang Huachen took the ball and was inadvertently broken by Huang Zichang, and then put a foul on the side and back. The referee showed a yellow card to Zhang Huachen, who was sent off after accumulating two yellows to one red. The Harbor team was thus faced with the dilemma of playing with one man less in the final stage.
Despite the fierce attack launched by the hosts, Henan pulled one back in the 81st minute by taking advantage of a corner kick. Henan's morale was boosted, and then they kept putting pressure on the Harbor Team. However, at this critical moment, Yan Junling once again stepped up and defused Henan's attacks as if he was a god. In the whole match, Henan had 18 shots on goal, 7 on goal, while Yan Junling contributed 6 saves, with a success rate of 85.7%. The only time he failed to make a successful save was the goal by Pina. After the match, Harbour Master Leko spoke highly of Yan Junling's performance. He believes that although Yan Junling is not yet back to his best due to injury, his performance today is enough to prove that he is one of the best goalkeepers in China at the moment. Yan Junling's insistence on playing in this match before the game also once again demonstrated his sense of mission and responsibility to the club.
