In the fierce competition, although the Shenhua team did not dominate the ball control rate, but its offensive efficiency and penetration is remarkable. The number of shots on goal, Shenhua with 17 shots to 7, the shot rate is as high as 6 to 2. However, the final 1 to 1 draw is not a true reflection of the strength of the two sides of the attack, which precisely reflects the charm of soccer.
After the match, head coach Wu Jingui told his players in the locker room, "Although we didn't win the Shanghai Derby, getting four points in two consecutive matches is already not easy. Thanks to the players for their hard work and dedication to this game."
The turning point of the game was the moment when the goal was almost scored and the goal was disallowed. In the second half, Shenhua created confusion through a pass from the right road, which led to an own goal by Harbor defender Li Shenyuan, and if the goal had been valid, the score would have been 2-0. However, the video assistant referee intervened, and the slow-motion camera showed that Shenhua's right defender Wang Yi was in an offside position when he received the ball, so the referee ruled that the goal was invalid.
ILLUSTRATION: Shenhua and Harbour Teams in a penalty shootout, one failed to score and the other managed to break through.
Shenhua substitute striker Liu Ruofan's powerful header hit the post and bounced out. More interestingly, Shenhua was also awarded a penalty kick, Zhu Chenjie's shot was parried and the substitute's follow-up shot was actually blocked by Yan Junling's face.
Harbor head coach Leko said after the game, "Shenhua did have the chance to end the game. We were lucky today, but the side that occupies the destiny also needs to have the corresponding strength, and only through continuous efforts can we have the destiny."
In the match, "a fraction of a second is a thousand miles". As fate would have it, Shenhua missed three "sure goals" and three consecutive chances to extend their lead and establish a win. The soccer field is sometimes so wonderful, when you continuously waste chances or can not break through the goal, the opponent may take advantage of an unintended opportunity to complete the goal. Fate, indeed, was on the side of Harbor.
Brave goalkeepers: national goalkeepers show heroic form
In 2021, the national football team for a long time closed training to prepare for the World Preliminary Cup, the main goalkeeper of the national football team is always Yan Junling, who is trained in Chongming Genbao base. Due to the overall strength of the national football team is weak, the defense is not solid, the national football team city many times lost, had triggered part of the netizens on whether it is China's best goalkeeper question.
ILLUSTRATION: Yan Junling completes a magical double on penalty kicks.
ILLUSTRATION: Yan Junling deflects a one-two before Seaport's first goal is conceded.
In the 2022 season, Yan Junling played heroically in this Shanghai derby and straightened out the doubts. Attack like a picture, defense Yan Junling - even in the 2018 Chinese Super League championship season, the harbor team's overall quality of defense is not high, mainly relying on the offensive suppression, but Yan Junling is always the most trusted fans in the heart of the "iron door". Whether it's a low block or a one-touch goal, Yan Junling can show the composure and calmness of the No. 1 goalkeeper of the national soccer team.
This Shanghai derby, Yan Junling from the first minute, directly into the open state. The first goal conceded by the harbor team, Shenhua striker Bassogo single knife into the push shot, hard by Yan Junling pounced out. However, because the harbor team defender Li Ang blocking is not timely enough, let Shenhua winger Zhu Jianrong aimed at the far corner of the shot, Yan Junling even flew to remedy can not prevent the ball against the side net goal.
In this competition, Yan Junling's excitement was activated early. The most classic defense remedy of the whole game is undoubtedly Yan Junling's two consecutive punches on penalty kicks. The Shenhua defender Zhu Chenjie, who took the penalty kick, had solid footwork and a tough mindset, but Yan Junling caught the ball and directly blocked the shot. Subsequently, a Shenhua player quickly inserted, the quality of the supplementary shot is very high, but the ball was Yan Junling face blocked out. With the double help of "destiny" and "hard work", Yan Junling performed a very wonderful penalty kicks two consecutive pounces.
Yan Junling review after the game: "Punt penalty then also did not think too much, because I and Zhu Chenjie really too familiar, before the national team throughout the 40, 12 strong match each other are very well known, of course, penalty also has a fate component, Zhu Chenjie in the mentality of the very mature, but punt penalty is still a fate component."
Adjusting formations: Leko completes self-correction
In addition to relying on good luck and the heroic remedy of goalkeeper Yan Junling, the fact that the Harbour finally managed to collect a penalty kick and equalize the score in the 87th minute stemmed from Lecco's self-correction. In the last ten minutes, the very stubborn Croatian finally lowered his noble head, and finally adjusted the 343 formation, which the players were basically not adapted to, to the relatively balanced but never trained 442.
A player told reporters after the game that Leko had not trained the four-back formation at all in previous training, but it was this forced change of formation that helped the team equalize the score in the last minute, and even more so, it helped Leko to pull the poorly-performing Harbour back from the edge of the cliff.
The 343 formation that Leko insisted on building after he took over is starting to expose the shortcomings of local players who are not adaptable, mismatched, and unable to defend without the superstar Oscar. 343 formation's tactical thinking is to attack instead of defend, and it requires midfielders to have strong passing and cutting ability, so that they can break the opponents' high level of pressing and mid-field stranglehold and suppress the opponents. Last year, Leco had two world-class midfielders under his command, Oscar and Muy, and the team was able to manage this aggressive formation, which is stronger in attack than defense, with relative ease.
In the 2022 season, Oscar has not yet returned to the team, Muy also because of the Australian team to play the World Cup basically no longer return, harbor team midfield work capacity is seriously lacking. Now, Leko did not "eat according to the existing characteristics of the players", but according to the original 343 formation for the players to "copy and paste". Especially when Xu Xin, the only player with the ability to link up, is unable to play due to injury, the Harbor team's 343 formation midfield work is only "elementary school" level.
After Wu Jingui fully penetrated the shortcomings of Lecco's 343 formation and adopted a grabbing fast front combined with staring tactics to completely suppress it, Lecco made a desperate last-minute move and switched to playing his never-trained four-guard formation. With substitute Li Shenglong on the field, the Harbor team actually ended up playing a 442 formation, with Yu Hai at left back, Li Shenyuan at right back, and Li Ang and Zhang Linpeng as center backs.
Even though it was only 10 minutes, the new 442 formation made an immediate impact, as the Harbor team increased the number of ball points, creating "instant mismatches" against Shenhua's originally precise defense, and playing a wave of blitzkrieg. The equalizing goal came from right back Li Shenyuan's assisted pass as a right back, which resulted in a handball by a Shenhua defender in the penalty area.
Illustration: Former international footballer Li Yi, who is a commentator at Tencent, commented, "In this Shanghai derby, Wu Jingui guided to a complete victory over Leko."
In the last ten minutes, the Harbour, which had unprecedentedly switched to a 442 formation, had a relatively more balanced attack and defense, with a more even distribution of passing points, and created the best substantial attacking chances of the match. In the first 80 minutes, Lecco's 343 formation operated like a tiger, but in the end, it was found that the speed of the clock was only twenty. On the contrary, in the last ten minutes, the Harbour team switched to 442, and it was obvious that the players were more adaptable, more knowledgeable, more fluent, and more direct in creating the timing to equalize the score.
Leko is a relatively idealistic coach, even a bit paranoid and stubborn in character. However, Leko, who never changes, saved a point in the fierce dialog of Shanghai derby by self-correction this time. The forced change of formation may be a good reminder to the "stubborn" Leko. (Shangguan News for Bing)
